Chapter 131
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 131
"By modern standards, this is a Depth-2 Virtual Simulation program. It's more like an immersive video than a true virtual simulation. You won't be able to interact with anything inside."
Barbara spoke rapidly, her eyes and fingers moving without pause.
On the screen, scattered letters and symbols twisted and snapped into place, forming a structured format. Barbara manually pieced together corrupted code segments based on context, checking if they would run.
Even with my basic knowledge, I could tell Barbara's skills were top-tier.
"Let me give you some advice: you should have brought me the original from the start. Whoever tried to restore this did a terrible job, causing a lot of data loss. It's making things unnecessarily tedious. Their method was incredibly crude. They weren't a professional programmer, were they?"
Barbara had deduced the entire process just from the traces left on the restored data. I didn't deny it; I just watched.
"Can you finish it by today—"
"I'm already done. I was doing this kind of work until I was sick of it back when I was seven."
If she weren't Barbara, I would have praised her efficiency.
We took out the virtual reality devices. They were simple, band-like machines that wrapped around the forehead. Since the program's depth level was low, this would suffice.
Whir.
As soon as I put the device on, a pair of goggles slid down over my eyes. The screen spun hypnotically before the colors bled together like wet paint. A buzz vibrated from the metal contacts pressed against my temples, seeping directly into my brain.
Barbara was also entering the virtual simulation.
"I'll keep part of my consciousness anchored outside to monitor the situation. If Barbara makes any suspicious moves, shoot her immediately."
I gave Giselle the instruction and closed my eyes.
Whirrr.
The buzzing in my ears was unpleasant. The vibration and noise transmitted to my brain felt as if they were spreading through my entire body along my central nervous system.
Screeech, click.
The transition into the simulation was rough. The data was so old that my senses felt gritty and dry, as if I'd inhaled a mouthful of dust.
My senses and cognition instinctively rejected the crude simulation. I dialed down my sensory sensitivity, letting myself drift as if on the verge of sleep.
I let my consciousness sink deeper. Like a light slumber, my awareness drifted away from reality. It felt like looking up at the world while submerged in a swimming pool. There was no need to sink all the way to the bottom, though. This depth was just right.
—Noel.
"Noel."
Even as I focused, the simulation felt artificial.
"Noel?"
Yes. I was in.
I blinked my eyes open.
The first thing I saw was Giselle. No, it wasn't Giselle. It was a woman who looked just like her. I recognized her instantly.
Agatha Custoria.
Agatha was looking at me—or rather, at Noel, whose perspective I was experiencing.
"Wake up, dumbass."
Agatha cursed at me without warning.
Zing!
A gunshot rang out.
A simulation reconstructed from Noel's extracted memories.
I quickly grasped the situation. The memory began on a battlefield.
* * *
The virtual simulation was crude. If I focused too hard, my consciousness would break free from it. Because the data was incomplete, the outlines of the background and objects flickered with colorful, fluorescent glitches. Still, it was enough to immerse myself.
I let my consciousness drift with the flow of the simulation. The sensory signals it sent washed over me like reality. I could smell dirt and gunpowder.
This is a battlefield.
I, Noel, was a soldier. I was leaning against a piece of cover, holding a rifle that would be considered an antique by today's standards.
Who is our enemy?
I couldn't tell if they were Bellato or Korain. All I knew was that they were human. They were raining gunfire down on us.
Panicked soldiers cowered around me. Whatever the situation, we were clearly on the losing side.
"Noel, what's the plan?"
Agatha, clad in a combat suit, asked me. It felt bizarre seeing someone who looked so much like Giselle.
But looking closer, she was distinctly different from Giselle. Her aura was rough and wild, and her body bore the scarred traces of the battlefield. Her limbs were cybernetic prosthetics, but her torso was still flesh and blood.
Agatha is a warrior and a soldier.
Noel—or rather, I... Sigh. Even for a crude simulation, this was getting confusing.
It was easier to just think of myself as Noel. While identifying too closely with him might not be great for my mental health, immersion was the priority right now. The more deeply I accepted the sensory data of this memory reconstruction, the more clearly I could feel Noel's thoughts and emotions.
In any case, I surveyed the battlefield and muttered to myself. Once I finished analyzing the situation, I barked orders to Agatha and the surrounding soldiers.
"Agatha, take the 3rd Squad and set up an ambush on the left. 4th Squad, follow me to the right. Reinforcements are on the way, so we strike when they arrive."
I was so calm it was hard to believe we were currently being pushed back.
"Reinforcements? Comms are down! How would command even know we're here?"
Agatha questioned my judgment.
"The rear unit is currently commanded by Katrin Mulrizka. She's more than capable of reading the battlefield."
"Katrin Mulrizka? You know her?"
"No, I don't. I've only read her command records and service history."
Agatha stared at me in disbelief before shouting.
"Then we need to retreat! If we stay here, we'll get surrounded and wiped out!"
Unlike in her later years, the Agatha of this era seemed quick to anger. Her hot-tempered nature was on full display.
"Even if the worst happens, you and I can get out. With your skills, Agatha, we can carve a path."
In other words, if worst came to worst, everyone except the two of us would die.
It seemed Noel didn't view any of the other soldiers as comrades, only Agatha. Indeed, a quick glance around revealed no sense of camaraderie. They looked like conscripts dragged here against their will.
Whirrr!
Soon, a deafening roar echoed from the sky. The shadow of a massive transport ship blanketed the battlefield. Its ventral hatch hissed open, and about fifty soldiers dropped down like falling stones.
Reinforcements had finally arrived.
Thud! Crash!
The soldiers slammed into the dirt with bone-jarring impact. One by one, they stood up. They must have been heavily augmented, as they showed no signs of injury despite the brutal drop. Some of them appeared to be Full-Body Prosthetics.
Swish!
I thrust my hand forward, signaling my squad. Having prepared for this moment, we coordinated our advance with the reinforcements, sweeping through the enemy lines from both flanks.
The reinforcements shattered the enemy's center while we pinched the retreating forces from the flanks. Caught in a pincer movement, the enemy was decimated before they could even attempt to regroup.
Agatha really stands out. As expected of the progenitor of the Custoria family.
By modern standards, Agatha wouldn't be considered an elite combatant.
But two centuries ago, she was a peerless warrior. Compared to the other soldiers, her prowess was even more staggering. Even with low-spec cybernetics and an un-enhanced nervous system, she fought with acrobatic grace.
Leading the charge on the left, Agatha tore through the enemy. She fired her weapon almost blindly, as if just swinging it, yet her accuracy was uncanny. In close-quarters combat, she was in her element. Every sweep of her dagger left a trail of falling bodies.
The battle ended. It was our victory.
I focused and fast-forwarded the simulation's timeline. Once the post-battle cleanup was complete, Agatha and I were summoned by command.
We entered the command tent. A noble officer stood waiting for us. Her name was Katrin Mulrizka.
I see.
This was how Noel had first become entangled with the Mulrizka family.
The silver-haired Katrin glared at me with clear displeasure. The rims of her pupils glowed faintly.
"You acted as if you knew exactly when I would arrive. As if we had coordinated our operational plans beforehand."
"I simply took a gamble, and it paid off. We were lucky."
I replied, standing stiffly with my hands at my sides. Katrin did not seem pleased with my answer.
"Speak plainly, Corporal Noel. And keep in mind that I am not a patient woman."
"I've studied your command records, Captain, which led me to believe you would deploy here. You have a history of prioritizing strategic choke points over assisting units led by fellow nobles. I assume that is also why your promotions have lagged behind your achievements."
The jab was incredibly insolent—not something a mere corporal should say to a captain.
Katrin scowled, tilting her head. She crossed her arms and stepped closer to Agatha and me.
"I believe I just told you that I am not a patient woman."
Beside me, Agatha was practically vibrating with anxiety. Even in this era, the authority of the nobility was absolute.
"I don't have much of a temper either," I said.
Me—no, Noel—this guy was a complete lunatic! I was so shocked that my synchronization with the simulation almost broke.
Crack!
Katrin's fist buried itself in my stomach. I doubled over and collapsed forward, coughing up a mouthful of metallic-tasting blood.
It was a severe blow, enough to cause internal bleeding. I knew this because the simulation's pain signals were feeding the agony directly into my mind.
"Noel! You...!"
Agatha gasped in shock, then glared at Katrin with pure fury. She looked ready to pounce on the officer then and there.
"I'm... fine, Agatha."
I grabbed Agatha's sleeve to pull myself back up. This was sheer grit. Back then, Noel hadn't undergone any Pain Tolerance Training. He was enduring pain that could easily induce shock through willpower alone.
Katrin looked down at me and let out a faint smirk.
"Noel, Agatha. Welcome to the Mulrizka-Jager. As of today, you are under my command."
During this era, noble families maintained their own exclusive units within the military hierarchy. The Mulrizka-Jager was one such force. In practice, the state recognized and funded these private noble armies as regular military forces, largely because so many noble families had effectively become localized warlords.
I fast-forwarded the simulation again. Since this was a collection of memories rather than his entire life, months and years flashed by in an instant.
Katrin Mulrizka, the designated successor to the Family Head.
Katrin was highly capable. Her talents were well-recognized within her family, allowing her to lead their private forces on the front lines at a young age. However, her stubborn streak meant her performance reviews within the regular military command were abysmal.
The flow of time slowed back to normal. It was now roughly five years into our service with the Mulrizka-Jager.
Agatha and I had distinguished ourselves on the battlefield, racking up achievements. Agatha had risen to senior platoon leader, while I had been promoted to Katrin's personal adjutant, serving as her chief strategist.
Having become core members of the Mulrizka-Jager, we naturally underwent Full-Body Prosthetic procedures.
After completing my rehabilitation, I reported back to Katrin.
"You adapted to a Full-Body Prosthetic in just one month?"
Katrin squinted at me, clearly finding it hard to believe.
"My doctor assured me there are no issues."
"...Follow me, Noel."
Katrin shed her coat and stepped down into the sparring ring. She threw a flurry of punches and kicks, testing my reflexes.
My reactions were sharp. Despite the stiff, unfamiliar prosthetic body, I managed to dodge her strikes and launch counterattacks of my own.
Whoosh, screech.
Seizing an opening, I pinned Katrin to the ground, pressing my knee into her back and locking her arm behind her. It was a flawless pin.
"I thought you were a desk jockey, but I was wrong. Have you been hiding the fact that you're stronger than Agatha?"
"I never hid it. I've just had a few realizations lately and wanted to test them out."
The talent of a combat theorist was beginning to bloom.
"Command is conducting a new research project. They claim to have found a new method to enhance the nervous system. I was originally only going to send Agatha... but you should go too, Noel."
I didn't like the sound of it. Nor did I like the idea of sending Agatha.
"Hmm, a drug trial? It's obvious they'll just turn the subjects into brain-dead cripples."
"I wouldn't send you if that were the case. They say this one is different. The other families are sending their best men as well. By the way, how long do you plan on keeping me pinned?"
"Ah, my apologies."
I stood up first and helped Katrin to her feet.
Three months passed. Agatha, having fully adapted to her Full-Body Prosthetic, returned to active duty. To celebrate her return, we went out to a bar. Since it was a monumental day marking our success and rise in the ranks, we chose a place far more expensive than our usual haunts.
As we walked into the bar, Agatha nudged my shoulder with her elbow.
"Noel, look over there. Isn't that the Captain? If we play our cards right, we might get a free drink."
Agatha spoke cheerfully. I followed her gaze.
Katrin was sitting alone at the bar. She was sipping her drink, staring out the floor-to-ceiling glass window. Beyond the glass lay the city skyline, dominated by jagged, towering spires.
Where the city of spires ended, a desolate, grayish-white wasteland stretched out. It was a stark contrast to the landscape of Akbaran.
This is the Ark Planet.
A sudden wave of cognitive dissonance hit me. As my synchronization with the simulation dipped, the scenery temporarily blurred, doubling over itself.
Right, it was finally sinking in. This was the era before humanity settled on Planet Novas. Out on the edge of the horizon, a massive thunderstorm was raging.
"Mind if we join you, Captain?"
Agatha asked, walking up to Katrin.
Drinking in solitude, Katrin glanced at us and snapped her fingers. The bartender immediately stepped up to us.
"Suit yourselves. Put it on my tab. Consider it a welcome-back gift, Agatha."
"I knew our Captain was the best."
Agatha flattered her and slid into the seat next to her.
Clack.
Our drinks were served. I stared with mixed emotions at a glass of liquor that cost as much as my daily wage. Beside me, Agatha was recklessly throwing back shot after shot. She was drinking so fast I felt a sudden urge to smack the back of her head.
Katrin watched us quietly, then let out a rare chuckle.
"So, when are you two getting married?"
Agatha and I denied it in unison.
"Oh, come on. Noel and I aren't like that. We've known each other since we were kids. We're more like siblings. Romance is out of the question."
"Well, if I were into men, maybe Agatha would have a chance."
"Hey! You want to die?!"
Watching our little comedy act, Katrin shrugged.
"Right, of course."
We spent the entire night at the bar, drinking until our minds went fuzzy. I think I even ended up pointing fingers and speaking informally to Katrin.
* * *
Noel's memories were vast. There was a good reason they had been stored on such an expensive chip.
I focused back on the simulation. I wanted to finish this experience before Barbara did, if possible.
Agatha and I underwent a new enhancement procedure. People in similar situations lined the hospital ward. Some were screaming in agony, clawing at themselves.
The medical staff stood over me. The lead doctor looked down at his chart and spoke.
"You may experience symptoms ranging from mild mania to hallucinations and delirium. Report any adverse reactions immediately."
We had our spinal fluid replaced. I reached back to touch the nape of my neck, where the tubes had been connected moments ago. The sensation of that translucent fluid slowly creeping into my body had been deeply unsettling.
The effects of the procedure were hard to put into words. It felt as though the world had suddenly snapped into sharp focus, forcing my brain to obsessively absorb every scrap of information around me. Before I knew it, I was counting the individual tiles on the floor.
Because I couldn't filter out the useless information, I barely slept for days. My heightened senses made even the faintest noise a source of agonizing stress.
We were given leave during our rehabilitation. Once I had recovered to a manageable degree, I went to visit Agatha.
"God, I feel like I'm going to fucking die. Noel, how are you even walking? I can't even tell the ceiling from the floor. I'm losing my mind. It feels like a permanent hangover is stalking me."
Agatha grumbled, nudging her front door open with her shoulder. She scratched her messy hair and walked inside.
"But why are you naked? If your boyfriend is over, I'll leave. He didn't seem to like me much anyway," I remarked dryly.
Agatha wasn't wearing a single stitch of clothing. As she stumbled inside, her bare back was fully exposed. Her Full-Body Prosthetic was sleek and seamless.
"I dumped that clingy loser ages ago. Honestly, I should just start dating women. And why am I naked? Are you stupid? My skin is so sensitive right now that I can't stand wearing clothes! The moment fabric touches my skin, it feels like bugs crawling all over me."
Agatha snapped. Since her combat instincts were sharper than mine, the sensory side effects seemed to hit her much harder.
Stepping inside, I glanced at her bed. The blankets were shredded. It wasn't just her bed, either; the entire apartment was in shambles, looking as if a wild beast had clawed through it.
"Agatha, you need to break out of that hyper-aroused state. Focus on your breathing and try to redirect your thoughts. It'll help."
"I can't do that zen shit, so you do it. God, my head is splitting. 'Top elite scientists' my ass. They're all a bunch of fucking quacks," Agatha grumbled. Fortunately, she didn't seem to be in any real danger.
"Well, you seem lively enough. I'm leaving," I said, taking a sip of water. Though I hadn't really been offered it—I had just rummaged through her fridge and grabbed it myself.
"Leaving already? Did you really come all this way just because you were worried about me? You know, I've always thought this, but you're surprisingly sweet. Even though you act like the coldest bastard on the planet."
"If you die, I lose a highly competent and reliable comrade. That's a net loss for me."
"Cut the crap. Just admit you were worried about your friend."
Agatha narrowed her eyes, teasing me with a grin.
After checking on Agatha, I returned to my own quarters. I spent the next month cooped up inside. My own condition wasn't great either, and I needed time to test and calibrate my newly enhanced senses and cognitive abilities.
Swish!
Standing alone in my room, I threw a punch. I followed it with a sharp roundhouse kick, my heel slicing through the air like a scythe.
Inside my head, countless thoughts branched out, crossing and intertwining. The sheer volume of choices felt like a map of infinite possibilities.
What is the optimal path?
I visualized a hypothetical opponent and moved. My mind felt incredibly light, as if I had just escaped a cage.
Through technological advancement, humanity had transcended its biological limits. Consequently, traditional combat styles were becoming obsolete. While conventional methods weren't entirely useless, they were no longer the most effective.
Human history had always been defined by war and struggle, but a turning point had arrived. The body was no longer bound by flesh and blood. The speed of consciousness now rivaled the speed of light.
A new style.
At first, it would seem inefficient compared to conventional methods. But only by laying a broader, newer foundation could one eventually build higher. The ceiling of this new style would be far, far above the old.
There's no rush. Now is the time to lay that foundation.
And theory without practice was nothing but empty academic chatter.
Once I had recovered, I began slipping out into the dark alleys every night. On the Ark Planet, the extreme wealth gap turned the city's underbelly into a living hell. It was to escape this very place that Agatha and I had joined the military.
A robber stepped out, blocking my path. Without a word of warning, he raised his gun and aimed it straight at me.
Bang!
The gunshot rang out. But I had already tilted my head, dodging the bullet before it even left the barrel.
The round grazed my cheek. The robber stared at me, his eyes widening in sheer disbelief.
"Y-you dodged it?"
It worked.
I had proven my theory in reality. It was a feat made possible by tracking the trajectory of the barrel and reading the exact microsecond the trigger was pulled.
There were historical records of veteran soldiers on combat stimulants occasionally perceiving and dodging bullets on the battlefield.
At first, people had dismissed those accounts as illusions or wild rumors. But as more data and records accumulated, it came to be accepted as a genuine phenomenon—one achievable by a select few.
Eventually, this will become a systematic technique, taught and replicated through training.
Humanity was progressing. Yet progress was not always a righteous path.
No one could say whether this progress led toward salvation or ruin. In the distant past, humanity had lived far more peaceful lives. It was said that some had lived and died without ever experiencing war, murder, or violence. It was hard to believe, but it was the truth.
Technology had advanced to the point of interstellar travel. Humanity had abandoned Earth to conquer the stars. Yet the sum total of human despair had not decreased in the slightest.
If anything, the suffering of the impoverished had only grown more agonizing.
Snap!
I grabbed the robber's neck and twisted. Snapping bone and flesh with a cybernetic arm was effortlessly simple. A life snuffed out in an instant.
You don't deserve to live.
Letting this robber live would only breed more misery.
A better world.
I, Noel, stared up at the towering heights of the city from its dark, squalid depths.
Bzzt.
As the synchronization shattered, the cityscape trembled as if breaking apart. I, too, knew what he dreamed of.
* * *
Time passed.
Agatha and I had mostly recovered from the aftereffects of the enhancement procedure. I heard that quite a few people had lost their minds to the side effects. Although the scientists boasted of its safety, there was a reason the nobles hadn't lined up to be first in line for it.
On this day, Katrin and I toured a factory.
Whirrrr, whirrrr.
I was looking at something shaped like a suit of armor. Katrin studied the prototype with keen interest.
"Is it an exoskeleton layered over a prosthetic body?"
When I asked, Katrin smiled.
"It's called a Full-Armor Prosthetic. A combat prosthetic in the truest sense—stripped down to only the functions necessary for battle. The Mulrizka Family is planning to order at least one."
I checked the specifications on my retinal display. The Full-Armor Prosthetic was a machine purged of every organ required for ordinary human activity.
A Full-Armor Prosthetic could neither eat nor laugh. To eliminate the brain's computational inefficiencies caused by unnecessary sensory input, and to prevent loss of combat capability from pain, even sensory signals were blocked. The dulled reflexes resulting from that blockage were compensated for by an auxiliary computing unit and the armor's own defenses.
In that war machine, the only role left for a human is the judgment to adapt to changing situations.
The user of a Full-Armor Prosthetic couldn't even feel the warmth of another person. They would only perceive body temperature as a number, read off sensor data. If the prosthetic body sustained damage, it displayed the destruction and impact as diagrams and figures.
"It's quite inhumane. There won't be many people who can endure that prosthetic."
"It's only used during combat anyway. It wasn't made for constant wear, so don't worry."
"Even so, it would demand immense mental fortitude."
"You or Agatha would endure it."
I looked at Katrin's profile. She was a woman always brimming with confidence, carrying herself as though no one stood above her beneath the heavens.
"...If you're only ordering one, please assign it as my personal prosthetic."
I would adapt to it better than Agatha. No—even if that weren't true, I would have volunteered anyway.
"Sometimes you're nice to the point of being cute, Noel."
Katrin chuckled, narrowing her eyes like a fox.
I felt like I'd just been talked down to. True, I had said something that sounded soft. I had volunteered to brave the danger for Agatha's sake.
"I've been hearing that I'm 'nice' from women a lot lately. I guess I'm doomed to never be popular."
I shrugged and grumbled. Katrin laughed out loud.
"Because of the myth that bad boys get all the girls?"
"Chad told me the other day that if a guy seems nice, he's finished."
"That's only because Chad only dates bad women. He gets a new girlfriend every month."
"Still, he must be popular with women if he can swap them out every month."
As the demonstration of the Full-Armor Prosthetic ended, the lights went out. The surroundings sank into darkness. We walked toward the exit.
"I don't think nice guys are so bad. They're easy to manage because they listen well."
In the dark hallway, the guide line leading to the exit blinked green.
"...That's just you liking a subordinate as a superior."
"To me, it's the same thing. I hate losing—whether it's to a man or a subordinate."
"I don't know about superiors, but I hate losing to women."
Katrin let out a scoffing laugh and pulled my wrist. I let myself stumble, deliberately allowing her to drag me along.
As I went along with it obediently, Katrin's grip loosened. I seized the moment.
Creak!
Braking my dragged body, I hauled Katrin back in the opposite direction.
Whoosh, thud!
Yanked toward me, Katrin was pinned against the wall. I grabbed both her wrists and pinned them above her head.
In the darkness, Katrin's eyes gleamed. Her low laughter echoed softly.
"You're being rude to your superior, Noel."
I tilted my head and brought my face close. Her breath brushed against my nose.
"Well, right now, you're not my superior. You're a woman."
Without waiting for her reply, I kissed her.
Katrin didn't resist. Naturally, I released her wrists. Her hands slid down and wrapped around my waist.
...The accelerated simulation time practically evaporated. Not all of Noel's memories remained. Only key scenes stayed, sparsely strung together.
Katrin and I maintained a relationship that reached into the bedroom. Whether we were dating or not stayed ambiguous. There was none of the burning passion typical of lovers, and no tender words were exchanged even in bed.
In particular—even accounting for the fact that this was a simulation—my, Noel's, feelings toward Katrin were detached.
A few more months passed. I slept at Katrin's place three or four days out of every ten.
Rustle.
Katrin, who had woken first, was drinking, wearing only a translucent robe. It was still dark—early dawn.
"Did I wake you?"
Sitting on the sofa, Katrin drew one knee up to her chin.
"No, not really."
I stood up, rubbing my neck. In truth, she had indeed woken me.
"How nice. Though you're a bad boy who only cares about winning in bed. Well, I prefer it that way."
"I thought you liked nice guys who listen well?"
"It seems my tastes have changed because of you. This isn't bad either."
Katrin rested her cheek against her knee and gazed out the window. The dark city stretched out far below.
Even now, while Katrin and I indulged in this lofty leisure, misery would be spreading like mold down at the very bottom.
For some reason, a sense of urgency washed over me.
"...Let's have dinner somewhere nice tomorrow. It's a little dull, only ever seeing each other at home."
Katrin suddenly laughed. There was nothing about what I'd said that should have been funny.
"Don't force yourself, Noel. You don't like me."
Her sharp, accurate observation pierced right through me.
"That's not true."
"At least, not as a woman. I don't want to play word games with you about this. If you want to treat the woman you shared a bed with like a fool, then go on—keep babbling."
I shut my mouth, having nothing to say. Katrin continued with a gentle smile.
"Even if our bodies are machines, the emotions we rub against each other aren't fake. If you're not sincere, it shows eventually, Noel. Besides—you've never had experience with a woman other than me, have you? That made it even more obvious."
"Hmm, I did try my best to make up for my lack of experience. I even asked Chad for pointers."
"I only let you win all this time because the model student's efforts were so endearing."
I scratched my chin and sighed.
"So, are we over? The way you're talking, it sounds like you've grown tired of me."
"No, that's not why I brought this up. First—tell me your purpose for approaching me. I'll be the one to decide what happens to our relationship."
I forced the rough words out of my throat.
"...I want to rise in the world. In my position, there aren't many ways to climb higher. That's why I approached you, Captain."
"Yes, I expected as much. Rest assured, I'm not disappointed in you. So—what do you want to do once you've risen? You're too complex a man for simple ambition to be your only goal."
Under Katrin's gaze, I walked over to the floor-to-ceiling glass wall. The city sprawled beneath my feet.
"You can see the city well from up here. But you can't see all the way down to the bottom, where I was born. Down there, it's endlessly dark—as if it doesn't even exist. What I want is light."
"Do you want to change the world or something?"
"No. I have no intention of dragging the sun down to the bottom. I just want to let people know there are humans down there too. I'll be satisfied with a small light—even if it only traces their outlines."
Katrin stared at me in silence, like a machine grinding to a halt. She, too, must have been lost in thought. Soon her glass-like pupils blinked, and her lips parted.
"You are a truly interesting man, Noel... Mulrizka."
I turned around and inclined my head to her.
"Thank you."
Katrin and I promised to marry.