The Whispers Beyond the Wall
Looking beyond the wall, I would sometimes see the man and the silver-haired man talking to each other.
—......Since I keep healing her with recovery magic, her natural regenerative ability is practically bottomed out. At this rate, no matter how sturdy her body is, she won't be able to endure it.
—My thoughts have changed a bit recently. Her ability manifested, and I thought this time was finally a success, but it’s woefully insufficient. So, I’ve decided to give up on the 10th attempt. It would be better to use this opportunity to secure as much data as possible in preparation for the next one.
The two of them had conversations like that. The words "10th attempt" and "give up" coming from the mouth of the one who looked at me with cold eyes—I couldn't understand what they meant. All I knew was that the man’s face, when he heard those words, became the same face he wore when he told me he was sorry.
Since that day, it happened over and over again, just like before. Every time the silver-haired man ordered something, I would suffer pain and spew flames. I hated the pain, but I followed his words obediently. Because the very first thing I learned was not to refuse what I was told to do.
Because the pain became more severe, even when the man healed me, there were times when my body wouldn't move well, and I would spend long periods collapsed on the floor. When I lay on the cold floor, it felt as if my body was cooling down just like the floor itself. Instinctively, I knew that at this rate, it wouldn't be long before my body really turned cold. If that happened, would I not feel pain anymore? Thinking that might not be so bad, I would lie on the cold room floor and fall asleep.
I woke up because of a sound coming from somewhere. Had the man or the silver-haired man come? I looked out past the transparent wall, but no one was there. Then where was this sound coming from?
At first, it was a small sound I couldn't hear well.
But the sound grew little by little, and I could tell it was speech.
And that it was ordering me to do something.
So, I did not refuse that command.
“The prosthetic arm, it’s finally finished. We’ve pulled off something incredibly cool.”
While eating, Jessie, sitting across from me, shouted in a voice full of ecstasy. Though her appearance was such that she looked like she might collapse at any moment. She must have spent several nights in a row working on the prosthetic. By the way, she really did finish it in just a few days, just as she said before. Rather than admiration, worry came first at the incredible speed of her work. Looking at her face, it seemed like she had even drained her soul into it.
“How long has it been since you went to measure my ability to make the prosthetic, and it’s already...... Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?”
When I asked her that, Jessie let out a laugh, “Hehe,” and replied.
“I told you before. The older sisters and brothers helped me because they thought it looked fun. Actually, none of them have ever made a custom prosthetic for a superpower user where they could spend money as freely as this time. Unlike me and my eldest brother, there were 10 craftsmen with dwarf blood mixed in whose main profession is manufacturing, and even taking this long is actually on the side of being slow because they had little experience. Honestly, if I hadn't received their help, it would have taken a long time.”
I should thank them too. As I was thinking that, Mei, who was listening to the story from the side, asked Jessie cautiously.
“But didn't you say older sisters and brothers? 10 people?”
“Ah, I’m the youngest of 5 sons and 7 daughters. My mother inherited the dwarf blood quite strongly, and they say that sometimes happens when a tendency to like making things manifests in a somewhat unique way. Thanks to that, my father, who came in as a live-in son-in-law, had a hard time. When I was young, he would cry and ask my mother to please go easy on him. It’s fortunate that I’m the youngest.”
“......I see.”
Mei made a bewildered expression at her friend’s unnecessarily detailed family history. I felt like I had heard something I shouldn't have.
“Anyway, since it’s not pure-blooded, the degree of manifestation is all different, so it’s quite fun. In my case, my manual dexterity isn't that great, but I’m on the taller side, and in my eldest brother’s case, he’s tall and even bald. Hehehe, isn't it funny? He has dwarf blood mixed in, so how could he have no hair?”
At those words that dug into a man’s heart, I saw a vision of Jessie’s eldest brother shedding tears somewhere. By the way, Jessie’s appearance as she laughed didn't look very good. Perhaps the Spirit’s influence hadn't faded yet, as her eyes looked slightly unfocused. For some reason, her neck also seemed slightly swollen.
Jessie scratched her neck slightly, looked at Sylvia, who was sitting next to me, and said.
“You know, Sylvia. They say that to protect the bloodline, only Astras marry Astras, right?”
“......Implicitly, that’s the feeling, yes.”
Perhaps it was a sensitive topic, as Sylvia’s expression stiffened slightly. I should have covered Jessie’s mouth when she looked like she was in a bad state, but she ended up causing a scene.
“Heh, then it’s incest.”
I was slightly embarrassed, wondering if that wasn't a harsh thing to say here, but looking at Mei’s expression, it seemed that wasn't the case. I looked at Sylvia, feeling flustered. Before I knew it, light was sparkling in Sylvia’s hand. There was no time to stop her. When the light flew from Sylvia’s hand and hit Jessie’s head, Jessie let out an “Ugh!” and threw her head back.
Did she die?! I was startled for a moment, but soon I saw Jessie turn her head back in a normal state. She had a blank expression, as if it were a bewildering event.
“......Huh? What was that just now? Something flashed, and somehow my head feels a bit refreshed......”
“You looked like you were in a bad state, so I used a mental stability spell. Are you feeling a bit better?”
“Eh? Ah, yes. Thank you.”
I let out a sigh of relief at Sylvia’s explanation. I thought she had hit her in the head in a fit of anger. Jessie, whose eyes had regained focus, looked more normal than before. Of course, after being blank for a moment, her face turned deathly pale. It seemed she had realized who she had said what to. Jessie trembled and bowed her head to Sylvia to apologize.
“Hiiiik! I... I’m sorry! What on earth did I just say!”
“It’s fine. It’s not entirely wrong, either. Still, please be careful from next time.”
“I’m really sorry! I wasn't in my right mind until just now!”
Sylvia was smiling, saying it was fine, but for some reason, I knew. She was a little angry. Well, it’s only natural to be angry if you’re told to your face that you’re an incestuous clan.
“That just means you worked that hard on Scarlet’s prosthetic arm. I can look forward to it, right?”
“O... Of course! It’s a masterpiece that everyone poured their passion into making! Since I’ll attach the prosthetic today, you’ll be able to see Scarlet moving her left arm tomorrow!”
“That would be nice.”
Am I the only one who heard that as meaning she wouldn't let it slide if the prosthetic’s condition was poor? It wasn't just me who sensed killing intent in Sylvia’s smile, as Jessie also trembled like a mouse in front of a cat and nodded her head vigorously.
After school, I followed Jessie to the Lutenia building to attach the prosthetic. Hearing her explanation, it seemed there was even a makeshift operating room inside the building where surgery to attach a prosthetic was possible. I marveled at it being a building that had everything, and as I entered, the guardian man was waiting.
“You’re here, Scarlet.”
Come to think of it, the man said he would be in charge of attaching the prosthetic. It seems he had been contacted in advance. When I bowed to the man who greeted me, he nodded.
“Please wait a moment. My brother will be here soon with the finished prosthetic.”
As I waited at Jessie’s words, Jessie’s eldest brother, whose crown looked a bit more bare than last time, perhaps it was my imagination, came in holding a box in his arms. I heard earlier today that he was in his early 30s with that appearance. I wondered if being a researcher was such a difficult job.
He greeted me with a slight nod, then looked at the man and said with a happy expression.
“It’s been a while, Deputy Director. Do you know how surprised I was to hear that the person in charge of the young lady’s surgery today was you? You’ve barely had any contact since the research lab burned down.”
“......Well, there were circumstances. I was a bit busy.”
It seems the two know each other. What a small world. As I was thinking that, Jessie’s eldest brother opened his mouth looking at the man.
“The Director said he would come today, too.”
And the man looked greatly bewildered at those words.
“......Sator is coming? Why?”
“He helped a bit with the prosthetic production. He asked me to contact him when it was finished because he wanted to see if it worked properly, so I called him. He said he’d be here soon.”
And at that moment, another person’s voice was heard from behind.
“It’s a real coincidence. I didn't know I’d meet you in a place like this.”
The man’s expression stiffened. The man groaned and said quietly.
“......Sator.”
“It’s been a while, Luke.”
Turning around, a silver-haired middle-aged elf I had encountered on the street a while ago was smiling brightly.