Chapter 178: Theseus
Chapter 178: Theseus
I didn't let my guard down, wondering if even this scene was something the Curator had staged.
However, nothing out of the ordinary happened.
Soon, the Librarian, who had been in a defensive stance alongside me, seemed to decide it was safe. He walked forward slowly and gripped the Curator’s core.
Clutching my injured body, I moved toward my hammer and grabbed the handle.
Clank. Clank. Clank.
The Hammer let out mechanical sounds as it shrank in size.
Normally, it would have felt light.
"It's heavy..."
Lacking the strength to properly lift even that light hammer, I used it as a cane and slowly limped toward the Librarian.
He stood there silently, staring at The Core in his hand.
It didn't take long to reach his side.
I intended to ask him a question once I got there, but—
"Cough...!"
Instead of a question, a thick glob of blood spilled from my mouth.
"Ah. Are you alright?"
As if only just noticing me, the Librarian tucked The Core away somewhere and carefully reached out a hand toward me.
"I'm fine. More importantly... Hack, ptui."
I lightly waved my hand to brush his away.
After spitting out the remaining blood in my mouth, I asked the question.
"Librarian. Are you still a Hero?"
My vision was blurred and tinted red with blood, but I aimed my hammer at him.
My hands trembled, lacking the strength to even keep the raised hammer steady, but I didn't give up my aim.
This was because this was what he had asked of me in the past.
"...I believe so," the Librarian replied, his voice thick with mechanical distortion.
Though his voice carried a sense of sorrow.
"Even though you've realized you're no longer human?"
My question was laced with absolute coldness. It was as if I were conducting an interrogation.
"...I'm not sure. It's difficult to give a definitive answer, but I recognize myself as the Librarian. The continuity of my personality remains valid. Even if I am an Otherworldly Being who has merely inherited the memories of the one who was the Librarian... I am still a Hero."
Perhaps he was trying to convince me; his characteristic long-windedness, which usually overflowed with confidence, was now tinged with desperation.
"...Are you saying that even if you are a Mutant, you will still protect the world?"
"A Mutant. Perhaps I am. Yes. Even if I have become a Mutant instead of a Hero, that resolve remains unchanged."
As if he had realized something through my question, the Librarian’s voice gradually regained its original tone.
The grating mechanical noise in his voice persisted, but it seemed that wasn't intentional; it was likely an unavoidable flaw that emerged during his transformation.
"In a way, isn't this for the best? If I had been eroded without doing anything and simply became a machine, my emotions would have faded and my thoughts would have become simplistic. Instead, I've become a pure machine while maintaining my personality. I've gained an unexpected advantage."
And finally, he regained his original way of speaking.
Confident, a firm believer in his own theories, and ever-positive.
"I see. Then..."
I de-summoned my hammer.
After taking a brief breath, I spoke.
"...You are human."
I opened my mouth and delivered my verdict as his watcher.
"I am a machine, though."
"We talked about it when we came to the island. I don't remember most of it, but just like the butterflies, you're human too."
I didn't expect that useless debate to lead to this.
"Thank you for saying that."
"Don't thank me. You said the same to the Curator. Still, go get a checkup at the Management Bureau. You might end up having to register as a Mutant."
"Hmm, that might be the case. They might even plant a bomb in my body. Hahahaha."
Even for the Management Bureau, I didn't think they'd go as far as planting a bomb.
Regardless, the fact that an S-Rank had been twisted like this would be enough to cause a sensation at the Bureau.
And while they're at it, I'll probably have to write a statement about what happened. Aside from the Librarian himself, I'm the only third-party witness...
I came way too far just to borrow a single Reality Anchor...
Well, it ended well, so I guess it's all fine.
The moment I let my guard down—
"Cough."
Blood erupted from my mouth again.
It seemed my internal organs were in bad shape.
"Are you alright?!"
A startled Librarian tried to catch me, but I squeezed out what strength I had left to push him away.
"Don't worry about me. Don't you have something you need to do?"
"...I'm not sure what it is I'm supposed to do, but your physical condition doesn't seem normal right now, Lee Ha-ram-ssi."
Why don't you know what you need to do when it's your own story? Talk about being slow on the uptake.
"Your story. It's not over yet."
I gave him a grin to show him he didn't need to worry.
I could feel blood trickling down the corner of my mouth, but I'd probably be fine.
"Did you forget the Curator’s last words? He said his Main Body still remains. You have to take care of that before we go."
"That can be handled later. Even if it's the Main Body, it's just a simple calculating terminal. The personality and algorithms that would use it have already been suspended..."
Haha. You stupid theorist.
That's not what's important.
"Librarian."
"Yes."
I am merely a supporting character.
A supporting character in this story.
The protagonist of this story is the Librarian.
"I've already got one foot in this story."
So.
"Shouldn't I see the end of it with you?"
Cough.
Blood threatened to surge up my throat again, but I forced myself to swallow it and spoke once more.
"Before I collapse, that is."
As soon as I finished speaking, the world began to change quietly.
The glowing white tiles vanished, and the world slowly crumbled away.
After a brief flicker, the place we returned to was the classroom where we had first met the Curator.
An empty classroom where only the dim fluorescent lights greeted us.
The bag the Curator hadn't been able to take was still on the desk, but nothing else out of the ordinary was visible.
Silence hung over the mundane classroom.
The Librarian stared at me, and I, the supporting character, waited for the protagonist's answer.
How much time passed?
"Sigh... If your condition worsens, you must tell me immediately."
The Librarian let out a sigh and retracted his armor.
"Sure."
Not that I thought it could get much worse than this.
* * *
The way back was still bustling.
Even though the night had deepened, people were still talking.
They still didn't look at us, nor did they recognize us.
"So, you're saying those things aren't human?"
"Yes. They are bio-mechanical machines precisely crafted to resemble humans. Their lifespan is likely around three years."
"Then when do they grow up?"
"They are produced fully grown from the start. Their bodies, their memories, and their personalities."
Is that so...?
Can that really be considered being alive?
The thought swirled in my head for a moment.
But I soon shook my head to dispel it.
I'd already had more than enough of philosophical debates.
Let's just focus on the cleanup.
"When their lifespans end... will it be painful?"
"That... is something we'll have to find out from now on."
Exchanging such gloomy words, we walked down the street.
Not long after, we arrived at a certain building.
"Is it here?"
"Yes."
"Then lead the way... I don't even have the strength to open a door..."
I might break it if I touch it...
"...Very well."
He gave me a bitter smile that seemed to say, 'If you're going to sound that much like you're dying, wouldn't it be better to just go back quickly?'
Regardless of his expression, the Librarian quietly pulled on the rusted iron door of the building.
Creeeeeak.
Was this an intentional placement?
The harsh sound of rusting, breaking metal echoed in my ears.
As soon as the door was fully open—
Pop. Pop. Pop.
The fluorescent lights flickered on, illuminating a staircase leading down.
It was a short flight, maybe about fifteen steps.
At the bottom was a hallway.
We slowly stepped forward.
"Be careful. The steps are steep."
"My eyes work just fine, you know...?"
Brushing off his unnecessary concern, we walked for about a minute.
At the end of the hallway, dimly lit by the fluorescent lights, was a small but clean wooden door. The Librarian carefully turned the knob and opened it.
The sound of ungreased hinges creaking filled the air.
"It looks safe. I'm going in."
The Librarian checked the inside for a moment before heading in.
I followed him through the door.
And I saw something I hadn't expected.
It was a perfectly ordinary room.
There was a bed and a chair.
A wardrobe and a dining table.
A refrigerator and a bathroom.
A truly ordinary room.
However, the things situated there were not so ordinary.
Thick books were piled up here and there.
Mechanical devices of unknown purpose were scattered around the room.
And next to the wardrobe, attached to The Wall, was a mass of purely black metal.
"That looks the most suspicious..."
I spoke, pointing at the black metal.
"Yes, you've seen correctly. That is the Curator’s Main Body. The calculation module."
"Can you operate it?"
No matter how I looked at it, it was just a smooth, rectangular block of metal. It didn't seem like there was any way to input anything.
"That part is simple."
The Librarian said as he reached out his hand.
Click.
The center of his palm opened, and a small wire extended out.
"It's a method where you send electrical signals to the surface, and it reads and reacts to them. Of course, this is only for direct input during emergencies. Once I start the synchronization, no matter how far away I am..."
Blah, blah, blah. He was being noisy...
But even that science-talk didn't seem so annoying after everything we'd been through.
Rather, it only made a sense of joy bloom—the joy of being reunited with a friend.
Regardless of my feelings.
Hummm. Hummm.
As the Librarian’s wire touched the metal mass, the metal began to vibrate slightly, emitting a strange resonance.
"sudo ... echo black library..."
With his eyes closed, the Librarian began to mutter something at a rapid pace.
Watching him, I gradually found it hard to keep standing and looked for a place to rest.
"I'm borrowing the chair... Curator..."
I threw myself into a simple faux-leather chair.
It was hard and unnecessarily slick.
It was the kind of chair I didn't like.
But perhaps because I was so exhausted.
The moment my butt hit the seat, drowsiness began to wash over me.
I shouldn't do this...
Didn't I insist on coming here, forcing the Librarian to tag along?
Nod.
I forced my drooping eyelids open and looked toward the Librarian.
"... ... ... ..."
He was muttering something quickly, and the humming of the black metal intensified accordingly.
I had no way of knowing what he was actually doing.
Well... I'm sure it's going well.
Has the Librarian ever messed up anything related to machines?
So, let's rest easy.
Nod.
Did that sense of relief break the final shackle?
Eventually, my head bobbed again, and at the same time, the eyelids I had been forcing open slid shut.
My consciousness sank into darkness.
Along with my exhaustion-filled body.