Chapter 364
Chapter 364
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 364
Chapter Title: The Worst Project (2)
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Shirone arrived on the 18th floor. It was a place any employee could access, but crossing the threshold of the association president's office was another matter entirely.
As Shirone stood before the door, taking a deep breath, Plu spoke.
“Listen carefully. The association president is beyond this door.”
Shirone looked back at Plu.
“Whatever you hear in there must never leave this room. It’s on a completely different level from what I know. I won’t ask you anything from now on. So, you shouldn't let on either.”
Shirone could sense Plu’s resolve. He, too, had risked his life to get here. He was curious about what Gaold would say, but at the same time, he hoped it would be something he could handle.
Plu knocked on the door on Shirone's behalf.
“Shirone is here.”
The door opened, and Kangnan peeked out. After scanning the hallway, she turned to Shirone.
“You’re here. You recovered quickly.”
“Yes. Thanks to your consideration.”
“Come in. Plu, you can go take care of your business. Good work.”
Plu wasn't disappointed. From this point on, it was not his place to interfere.
“I was only doing my duty. Well then.”
Only after Plu had left did Kangnan open the door wide.
Gaold, having finished dyeing his hair, was sunk into the old sofa in the president's office. The scent of acrid cigar smoke clung to the wallpaper.
“You’re here? Sit.”
As Shirone sat opposite Gaold, Kangnan brought tea.
No one spoke. All three knew who had to be the one to break the silence.
“Miro…”
Gaold finally began.
“She was a schoolmate of mine.”
“Yes, I know.”
“She was a strange one. No, eccentric is more like it. One day, she claimed she could create life. When I told her to prove it, she said she needed a cadaver.”
Gaold began his story with Miro. Shirone, who was just as curious about Miro as he was about Gaold, perked up his ears.
“So we snuck into the anatomy lab and got a cadaver. We just took a tissue sample. Of course, we would’ve been expelled if we were caught, but she didn’t care at all. Then she took me to her lab, and there was a water tank on the table. All sorts of strange devices were set up next to it, with tangled hoses stuck together…”
As if it were too bothersome to describe, Gaold waved his hands about exaggeratedly.
“Yes, I can imagine what it was like.”
“She started throwing all sorts of strange things into the tank. It was a disgusting sight. I told her I was just going to leave, but she held onto me. Said there was something I had to do. In the end, I was trapped.”
It was hard to believe there was a time when Gaold, a man who seemed capable of overwhelming the world with a single glance, was completely at Miro’s mercy. The thought alone brought a smile to his face.
“And so, the preparations were complete. Miro handed me a small cup. Then she told me to fill it with my semen.”
“*Cough! Cough!*”
Shirone, who happened to be drinking tea, choked.
“S-So… did you give it to her?”
“Am I crazy? Of course, I yelled no and ran—I mean, I left. But the next day, she’d gotten some from somewhere. Said she bought it. The experiment continued. When she boiled it, it turned into this disgusting water. Miro called it the primordial soup. I made a bet with her. If anything came out of that thing, I’d run around the school in just my underwear.”
Shirone smiled faintly. It seemed school life hadn't changed much from then to now.
“A month later, as promised, I went back to the lab. Miro was so excited she was out of her mind. I couldn't understand it. Did she really think something would come out of there? I was just playing along because she was such an eccentric kid.”
“Haha! Of course.”
In that moment, all emotion vanished from Gaold's face.
“But there was.”
“…What?”
“The disgusting liquid had already dried up, and the tank was covered in a sticky slime. And inside, a creature I had never seen before was living.”
“Maybe she brought it from somewhere…”
Gaold shook his head.
“No. I thought so too at first. But no matter what creature a human imagines, it’s bound to follow patterns based on existing knowledge. This was completely different. It was truly a life form born in its own unique environment.”
Shirone couldn't believe it.
But Gaold's eyes were sincere. Even now, as a Grade 1 Archmage, his eyes still trembled with shock as he recalled the situation.
“I can say with certainty that if you had been there, you would have thought the same thing. A sense of otherness felt not in the mind, but in the gut. That creature was completely different from us.”
“Miro… how did she make it?”
Is it possible for a human to create life? The current pinnacle of human achievement was merely the magitech organism Harvest, which possessed motility. No one would call Harvest a living being.
“Miro kept silent about it. She made me promise that what happened that day would never be revealed. But now, I have a faint idea. Miro is the world’s most brilliant Scale Mage. In a specific space of her own creation, she could probably fast-forward hundreds of millions of years.”
“You mean she evolved a primitive life form?”
“Perhaps. In any case, that’s not what’s important. What’s important is that I had to run around the school in my underwear. Thanks to that, I was branded a pervert.”
*‘I don’t think that matters at all.’*
Shirone forced himself to swallow the words that had risen to his throat.
Understanding Shirone’s sentiment, Gaold let out a short laugh. Of course, that didn't mean his previous words were a joke.
“Miro knew the creature wouldn't live long. It died a week later. Miro cried a lot that day. You might wonder why she created it in the first place, but that's just how strange she was. She was unpredictable.”
Shirone nodded. The anecdote Gaold shared was enough to prove she was no ordinary person.
“It wasn’t just life forms. She was a genius of creation. She came up with all sorts of unimaginable inventions. When I asked her how she did it, she said she could just see it. The moment she heard an object's name, its principles would just come to her.”
“She hears… the name?”
Something suddenly clicked in Shirone's mind.
“Yes. Perhaps she even reached the Akashic Records. In any case, Miro quickly made a name for herself in the magical society. She had unlocked the Immortal Function long ago and believed she could warp spacetime with magnetic force. But she wasn't interested in success. She seemed like a woman whose head was filled with nothing but curiosity. That’s how the Paranormal Research Society came to be.”
“Yes. I’m a member of it, too.”
Shirone felt a sense of pride in his affiliation.
“Heh heh, congratulations on getting your life twisted. There were three founding members. Me, Miro, and another half-wit named Sein.”
“Sein is the one with Savant Syndrome, right? The one who made the master key for Istas.”
“Well… I’m not particularly fond of the guy.”
Gaold dismissed the topic with that single sentence. It was a shame for Shirone, who had wanted to hear where Sein was and what he was doing now.
“And… what comes next is a Grade 1 secret you must hear.”
As Gaold’s expression hardened, Shirone swallowed hard.
“Ultimately, Miro’s genius led to the worst possible situation. The twelve most powerful monarchs in the world, the ‘Sanctuary,’ began to watch her. They had been monitoring the situation in Heaven for a long time. That’s how the Sanctuary’s army, the Valkyries, was created.”
Shirone’s expression darkened. The reason King Orkamp of Kazra had summoned him was also to use Ataraxia to exert influence within the Valkyries.
“Realizing the final war was imminent, the Sanctuary sought a successor to Geffen. In that process, Miro was chosen. A girl with a bright future ahead of her was instantly turned into a bulwark for humanity. Can you imagine it? The feeling of being eternally trapped in a world of her own, burdened with a destiny where she can neither age nor die?”
Shirone didn't dare to respond.
“Finally, a trial began, with renowned leaders from around the world gathered. It was called the Judgment of the Twenty. The empire’s Grade 1 Reapers, the Pope of the Rami Order, a virtuous figure known as a living saint, the heads of human rights organizations, and so on. To maintain balance, Miro’s teacher, Alpheas, and Olivia, an inspector from the Tormia Kingdom’s Board of Education, were also given votes. The result was 16 in favor, 1 against, and 3 abstentions. In the end, it was decided that Miro would depart from this world.”
“How could they…”
For Miro, it was a matter of weighing the lives of all humanity against her own. Even if she had made the decision herself, a decision that should have been questioned for its sincerity, the idea of a mere twenty people gathering to end one person's life was absurd.
“Yes. To me, the whole process was incredibly complicated, but the world seemed to move on with utter simplicity. No one could raise an objection to the proposition that one sacrifice could save all of humanity. After a few hectic days, the day of her departure finally arrived. And Miro…”
Gaold's voice suddenly trailed off, and then silence fell. He stared blankly into space, lost in thought.
His breathing grew ragged, and blood vessels surfaced in his eyes. Tears, completely unbefitting his tough exterior, welled up in his unblinking eyes.
*-Please, save Miro! I have lived my entire life as a servant of God without a single shred of shame! You can have my soul! Just please, save Miro…!*
*-Did you say your name was Gaold?*
*-Please… please grant this young servant God’s grace! God’s mercy…!*
*-God, too, will forgive us.*
Shirone looked around in surprise. The equipment in the room was rattling and shaking as if in an earthquake.
*‘What’s happening?’*
Turning his head to Gaold, Shirone’s breath caught in his throat. The tears had dried, and in Gaold’s eyes, an unapproachable storm of emotion was raging.
The scenery changed, and a great fire erupted.
It was an oppressive atmosphere on a different level from what he had experienced in the bunker. The only difference was that this time, Gaold was there in that hell with him.
Gaold’s eyes rolled back until only the whites were visible. His face was completely contorted, and his lips, baring his teeth, were twisted into a grotesque snarl.
*‘Ugh! This is too much.’*
He was holding on with the power of his Incarnation, but a real physical force, not just a mental one, was at play. At this rate, the entire 18th floor might just explode.
Kangnan’s low, sharp voice cut through the flames.
“Mr. President.”
As if by magic, the hellish scenery vanished. Gaold seemed to come to his senses, narrowing his eyes.
Only then could Shirone breathe again. He hadn't even realized his entire body was drenched in a cold sweat.
Gaold leaned back on the sofa as if nothing had happened. But Shirone knew he wouldn't hear any more about the Judgment of the Twenty from him.
“In any case, that’s how Miro left this world. Since that day, I’ve been planning a project, and now all that remains is to execute it. This is why I called you here.”
Shirone calmed his pounding heart and prepared to listen. Gaold watched him for a moment, then shot upright and leaned in close.
“I am going to destroy Miro’s spacetime.”
“…”
Shirone first processed Gaold’s words. Then he analyzed their meaning. The realization was far more chilling than when he had first heard them.
“Destroy… Miro’s spacetime?”
It meant he was going to bring Miro back. From Gaold’s perspective, it was the only natural course of action.
But if that happened… this world would be set on a path to ruin.
“If Miro’s spacetime disappears…”
“Yes. The armies of Heaven will invade. Eight archangels, dozens of regular angels, hundreds of fallen angels, thousands of maras, giants and fairies, ancient magic, Schema, and citizens armed with the firepower of mecha weapons. Regardless of who wins, the world we live in will be annihilated. That is what I am telling you.”
Gaold did not shy away from the truth. His resolve, unchanged for twenty years, was not about to waver now.
Shirone rubbed his face with both hands. It was frustrating to have his fears confirmed. No, this was a far bigger problem than he had ever anticipated.
It was a plan to rescue one woman by holding all life in this world hostage. He didn't panic or make a fuss. Faced with a problem of an incomprehensible scale, his head felt strangely cool.
“Is there a way?”
If it had been possible to bring Miro back, Gaold would have done so long ago. It could only mean there was some incredibly difficult condition to be met.
“Of course, there is.”
Gaold smiled pleasantly. Shirone’s ability to grasp the core of the issue, no matter the situation, gave him even more confidence than before.