Memory, or Data
“Shouldn't you break it to him a bit more gently?”
Enoch spoke up hesitantly, cutting through the suffocating tension lingering between Soo and Draco.
“Still... I would think there has to be a starting point somewhere.”
“That's true. It could have been fabricated starting right after he met Kaiser, or maybe from the junkyard. But we can't rule out the possibility that every single memory was fabricated.”
She said that, but she believed the meeting with Kaiser Hintz was real. If Zyrec had known about Hugo's rebellion and caught wind of his forces, it only made sense for Kaiser to step in.
So for now, it was easier to assume the fabrication began immediately after the meeting with Kaiser.
Plugging in the shard, transferring the mind, and waking up in the junkyard with broken limbs.
There was no proof. She had to find a contradiction or a loophole. And that contradiction lay in the explanation of waking up in the junkyard.
If Louis or Philip had hidden Draco somewhere in the junkyard to protect him, that could somehow be explained.
But the part about both legs being broken made no sense.
Even after a fierce battle, could only the legs break so cleanly? It might be possible if a series of coincidences lined up, but the story changed when the subject was a sexroid.
Sexroids were products built with high durability from the start so they could withstand rough handling. For such a product's legs to break, there should have been damage elsewhere as well.
Yet Draco had said his legs were broken without mentioning any other damage. He even said his vision was perfectly fine and he could move his hands freely.
Therefore, only one explanation made sense.
To save map resources in the fabricated memory, they had rendered Draco immobile.
If Draco's legs had been fine, he would have wandered around the junkyard, and in doing so, he would have noticed something felt off.
But what if he couldn't move?
What if, the moment he opened his eyes, his data was 'luckily' restored and the symbol of the Phantom Protocol appeared?
He wouldn't pay attention to the surrounding environment and would only focus on what was right in front of him.
This allowed them to minimize the rendering resources of the junkyard terrain. Reducing the resources like that would make the simulation feel much more natural.
She had never done it herself, but even at a glance, it seemed highly plausible.
That was why they implanted the memory of broken legs.
They bound Draco to a single spot and threw him the massive bait of the Phantom Protocol, leaving him no choice but to bite.
Besides, there was one more piece of evidence that could definitively disprove the idea that the sexroid Draco's memories were fabricated from start to finish.
Zyrec had 'cloned' a human mind.
There was no need to insert heavily edited memories into that clone.
It would have been possible if Zyrec had forced the experiment on Draco Legia. However, based on the previous evidence, it was highly likely that Zyrec and Draco Legia were working together.
“That commission might have been a joint venture between Zyrec and Draco Legia from the very beginning.”
“...Legia is my company.”
“It's Draco's company.”
There was no need to explain who the current Draco was referring to.
“...Are you saying I agreed to this kind of experiment?”
“Maybe you agreed because you wanted to grow the company with your friends, or protect it.”
Soo leaned toward the former.
If it were the latter, he would have at least come to see his own clone. And if he couldn't, he would have left some kind of hint.
“...For now, I agree with that too.”
Angela, who had been listening to Soo, spoke up.
“Whatever else might be true, the Phantom Protocol doesn't have that kind of capability.”
“What? Angela, how do you...?”
Enoch's eyes widened.
His expression soon softened as if he understood something, only to immediately crumple.
Draco's eyes were just as wide. Had they bonded while talking in the shower? A faint, subtle sense of betrayal seemed to flicker in Draco's eyes.
It was understandable.
Even while listening to Draco's explanation, Angela must have been certain that it couldn't be the Phantom Protocol.
Of course, that didn't mean Angela had done anything wrong to Draco. Whatever Angela herself might think, Soo certainly didn't think so.
Perhaps Draco felt the same way, which was why he was trying to hide his expression.
“Because I am a member of the Phantom Protocol.”
The Phantom Protocol.
It was a name that spread like an urban legend in Eden, but no one in the city had ever been able to trace their existence.
Not even the elite Netwatchers of the Aegis System.
That was why they were named 'Phantom' and became known as an urban legend.
Only a tiny fraction of people knew the truth about the Phantom Protocol.
She was certain that, at most, only five people in all of Eden knew.
Yet even those few had no idea what the Phantom Protocol did, where or how they lived, or what they wanted.
Because when the Phantom Protocol suddenly appeared during the Abyss War, they had sided with Eden without asking for anything in return.
That was why they were feared and watched with caution.
The rulers of Eden knew better than anyone that there was no such thing as unconditional goodwill in this world.
“Ahaha... You're really surprised, aren't you?”
Angela admitted the truth with a slightly heavy heart.
She had thought about coming clean and practiced it so many times, but it still wasn't easy.
Perhaps it was because she had grown attached to them during their time together.
To Angela, who considered keeping secrets to be a form of lying, the stares she was receiving felt incredibly sharp.
“So...”
Enoch's low, trembling voice settled over the office.
What would he say next?
Why did you hide it? What do you want from us? What information did you steal? Why are you revealing this now?
Would he ask things like that?
She didn't know. Still, she hoped not. If it was the Enoch she knew, he would listen to her. Even if he felt betrayed and angry, he was someone who would hear her out first...
And Soo?
Soo had figured it out on her own a long time ago... and she hadn't said a word all this time, so surely she would understand.
She wasn't sure.
Angela composed her expression as best as she could and waited for Enoch's next words. She couldn't summon the courage to look Soo in the eye.
“So that's why you were so incredibly skilled.”
But then.
An unexpected comment slipped from Enoch's mouth.
“...Pardon?”
“I knew you weren't an ordinary Netwatcher, but to think you belonged to that legendary group. Yes, I suppose only a group like that would be worthy of your talents.”
“Huh...?”
Angela blinked her wide eyes, staring at Enoch.
He wasn't lying.
Enoch truly meant what he said.
“Why the face?”
“No, it's just... I thought I was going to get scolded...”
“Me, scold you? Don't talk nonsense. I'm just glad I'm not the one getting scolded by you.”
“But I even lied to you.”
“Is it really a lie? Angela, that was just something we never asked about. Don't you agree?”
Enoch turned his gaze toward Soo.
Naturally, Angela's eyes followed, landing on Soo sitting beside her.
The moment she saw Soo's face, Angela felt all the tension drain out of her and burst into laughter.
“Yeah.”
Soo had a lazy, yet somehow earnest expression.
“There's no way Angela is a bad person. She cooks, does the laundry, cleans, is nice, has lots of money, and even hooks us up with an amazing VPN. VP... Angela is the best. Awesome. Good job.”
Phantom Protocol or not.
There was no way she could hate Angela, who was practically perfect in every way.
She didn't just like her for the VPN.
Seriously.
“Soo, I think you were about to call me VPN just now. Am I right?”
“Nuh-uh. Dragons don't know about that stuff.”
Soo shook her head coyly and shifted her gaze to Draco. Seeing his complicated expression, he seemed to be remembering his old comrades.
In Draco's explanation, he and his comrades had seemed very close. Watching Enoch, Angela, and Soo banter had undoubtedly brought back memories of them.
“Thinking about the past?”
“The past...”
Draco chose his words carefully for a long moment before speaking with a bitter smile.
“It's hard to explain.”
“Why?”
“Thinking about the past, or thinking about my comrades... I'd like to describe it that way, but are they really my comrades? They might not think so, even if I do. And to say I'm recalling old memories... right now, aren't I just reading data?”
Draco looked down at Bori, tilting his head with a faint, helpless laugh.
“What am I?”
“Meow.”
Bori licked Draco's hand.
She let out a soft meow, but there was no way Draco could understand her language.
“My way of speaking doesn't suit me either. Should I change it?”
“This suits you better.”
Soo nodded honestly. A soft tone like his current one suited him much better than his previous stiff way of speaking.
“Ahaha, then what about my name? If that's the case, wouldn't it be better to change my name too?”
“Well, your product name is Reina.”
“What...?”
“S-Soo...?!”
Enoch and Angela stared at Soo in sheer horror.
“Huh...?”
Draco, who had spoken out of self-deprecation, flinched. He had prepared himself, but he hadn't expected such a direct, blunt answer.
Of course, he hadn't said it looking for comfort.
He had just said it as a bit of dark humor to mock his current situation, but...
“There's a lot of fan art, too. Want me to show you?”
“W-what do you mean by that...”
“I'm a Reina enthusiast myself.”
Saying so, Soo gestured for Draco to lean in. Draco flinched at the gesture but eventually hesitated before bringing his ear close.
“This is a secret, but I actually commissioned some Reina illustrations. It's a composition no one else would ever imagine. Want to see it?”
“...W-what kind of illustration is it for you to go that far?”
Nine out of ten Reina illustrations were naked.
If she was wearing clothes, they were closer to wrapping paper designed to make her look even lewder.
But the illustration Soo had commissioned was entirely different.
“She's actually wearing cute clothes.”
“...Ah.”
Draco's eyes went dead the moment he understood what Soo meant.
Judging by his reaction, Soo figured it was probably best to keep the 'normal' illustrations to herself.