Chapter 374: American Dream (2)
Chapter 374: American Dream (2)
“…That’s what my disciple said. What do you think?”
I tossed the question toward the glowing monitor in the dark room.
No answer came back.
The only response was a brief burst of static from the speakers.
About thirty seconds passed.
“Ah. My apologies. There was a slight issue with the decryption process. Hmm… You are talking about the General-purpose Bio-prosthetic?”
A voice with a peculiar cadence spoke through the speaker.
“Yeah.”
“If it is that, there is no problem. It is a non-existence whose existence is not guaranteed to others. From an external perspective, its non-existence is guaranteed. Thus, it proves its existence through contact with the user and becomes one with them.”
“…What are you even talking about?”
No, seriously. What does that even mean?
“The General-purpose Bio-prosthetic has been completely laundered; conceptually, it does not exist there. Therefore, it is not influenced. Thus, it is harmless.”
“…”
Someone, please. Explain this to me.
I looked around the room with a pleading gaze.
“Unrefined Otherworldly Power tends to exert a strong influence on a mental level. You can simply think of it as us having implemented various measures to prevent that,” a man’s voice said from the seat in front of me.
It wasn’t a voice coming through a speaker, but the voice of a man physically present here in the meeting room.
I heard his explanation, but honestly, I still didn’t really get it.
“Is it 100%?”
“Nothing in this world is 100%. However, I can tell you that it is as close to safe as humanly possible.”
Hmm.
Well, I suppose so.
Still, it felt like the explanation was missing something.
“But isn’t that just about storage? You’re saying that attaching a limb to a person can be solved through that kind of conceptual domain too?”
From what I’d heard so far, they were just saying it wasn’t affected by Otherworldly Power. That seemed a far cry from saying the incredibly complex object being attached to a body was actually safe.
As soon as I posed the question, the woman—likely the one in charge of this project—spoke through the speaker again.
“Ha-ram, do you worry when you hold a stick in your hand?”
“Of course not.”
“Then it is the same. It is an object, just like a stick.”
“…No, it’s completely different.”
How can a wooden stick be the same as a hand?
“In a broad sense, they are the same. It is that kind of object. That concept applies.”
…Dammit. I have no idea what she’s saying.
“So, is it safe or not?”
“It is not safe. It is exactly as safe as the limb the person originally had.”
Fine. Forget it.
I don’t know what I was thinking bringing this up. It’s not like hearing this makes me a member of an international medical organization who can just stamp it with a ‘Safety Approved’ seal.
Still, since I was the one who asked, I should at least thank her for answering.
“…Right. Thanks for taking the time, Locria.”
“I shall return to work.”
With those final words, the connection to the monitor where Locria had been displayed cut out.
In the silence that settled over the meeting room, I let out a long sigh.
Every time I deal with The 13 Seats of The Society…
Even if the strongest among the Otherworldly monsters—those who find it hardest to assimilate with humans—occupy those seats, the fact that Al’shel, Quilp, and Seini are among the more 'normal' ones makes me feel truly pity for myself.
Take Locria, whom I just spoke with.
She looks perfectly human on the outside, but she’s a case where her entire species joined The Society because of a fatal flaw.
However, the nature of that flaw was so absurd it left even me speechless when I first heard it.
…Her entire race has an incurable metal allergy.
I’m not joking. It’s real.
They are allergic to almost every kind of metal. It’s not even a biological issue; apparently, the concept of 'metal' didn't exist in the world their race came from.
Perhaps because of that, the laws of physics act strangely on them. They’re fine with things up to the density of aluminum, but if their bodies come into contact with a solid of higher specific gravity…
They fall apart.
Literally. Their arms, legs, torso, and everything else disassemble and drop away like LEGO bricks.
The moment I saw it with my own eyes, I shouted, “What the fuck?!”
If you hold out your hand for a handshake and the person in front of you undergoes a complete physical breakdown just because they touched the metal part of your glove, how exactly are you supposed to react?
The even funnier part is that they don't die.
To them, those peripheral body parts aren't important.
What truly matters is the brown, fist-sized lump of meat left behind after the body disassembles.
That is the Main Body of their race.
They are born as sentient lumps of meat and grow by attaching parts of other living creatures' bodies to themselves. Since developing a civilization, they’ve supposedly grown by creating bodies using extremely advanced Bio-mechanical Technology.
Anyway, because they are that kind of race…
They have human-like appearances, human-like intelligence, no intention of being hostile toward humanity as Otherworld refugees, similar ethics, and almost identical sensory organs.
Despite checking all five boxes, they are a race that can never side with the Management Bureau.
The fact that Otherworldly Power suppression devices contain metal is one problem, but even if that were solved, if they suppressed their Otherworldly Power, all that would remain is a round lump of meat.
Naturally, they couldn't accept a situation where their entire race would be completely dependent on humans.
So, they joined The Society.
And the most outstanding among them, the bio-engineering expert who leads their race, is Locria.
Her Main Body is incredibly frail, as it can be neutralized by a single touch of metal.
However, due to the combat power of the biological weapons she creates, she is ranked as a mid-to-high A-Rank monster.
Uh… her villain name was…
The Meat Carver… was it?
Well, it’s something like that.
Anyway, it’s quite ironic that she, who once led a protest with biological weapons to complain about the Management Bureau’s treatment of her race, is now using her talents to make prosthetic limbs.
Actually, her true power lies not in bio-engineering, but in a deeper realm concerning life—
“If your conversation is finished, may we return to the main topic?”
While I was lost in thought about her, a voice called out from in front of me.
My train of thought was cut off.
“Ah. Right.”
I straightened my posture and looked at the man sitting on the other side of the meeting room.
No matter how I looked at him, he appeared to be nothing more than a human in a sharp suit, except for the fact that his Otherworldly Power levels were slightly higher than an average person's.
Enclu, one of The 13 Seats of The Society, who earned his position through abilities other than combat power.
The reason I came here today was to talk to him.
The conversation with Locria was just a byproduct that happened along the way.
Now then, shall we get back to the main point, as Enclu suggested?
It’s not like I have plenty of time.
I’ve currently snuck out of my lodgings to contact The Society. If I drag this out, morning will come, and my disciples will realize I’m gone.
So, I cleared my throat to get back to business.
I spoke immediately.
“I’ll ask again. Just how deeply have you people infiltrated human society?”
Enclu responded to my words with a sly smile.
“Even hearing it again, I’m not quite sure I understand the meaning of the question.”
Don't give me that 'I don't understand' crap. You know exactly what I mean.
“Cut the nonsense. Last time I met you, you only mentioned Arejes Security Service, but now that I’m in America and looking into it, it’s a total mess. Just from what I’ve found, there’s Cria Pharmaceutical, Zero-One Automotive, and the Minerva Investment Fund. There were a few more, and oh yeah, finally, that damn Titanic.”
“Hmm. Indeed, those are all companies we own.”
Enclu remained unperturbed, his face a mask of shamelessness.
Looking at that expression, a bit of anger flared up inside me.
That’s annoying.
Is there no way to break that smug face?
I pondered for a moment.
Soon, a good idea crossed my mind.
“Oh right, while we’re on the subject, let me ask you one thing. What the hell were you thinking, naming a passenger ship the Titanic?”
To be blunt, isn't that why this whole thing happened? Because the name was so cursed?
Even though Seini, an executive, brought Society members to secretly guide corpses to where the Management Bureau rescue teams were and fended off monsters that tried to prey on them in the meantime…
“Ah, that? Seeing as you know the name Titanic, you must have more knowledge of ships than I thought. The other members of The Society didn't notice at all.”
“No, of course they wouldn't. It’s not like they’re from Earth. No, wait…”
Something about his tone…
“Don't tell me you’re the one who came up with the name Titanic II?”
And you knew everything?
“Yes. Since it was a ship that had sunk once before, I named it that as a sort of charm to ward off misfortune, but it seems it didn't work out very well.”
Enclu replied, still wearing that sly smile.
It seemed my strategy to break his composure had failed.
Well, nothing to be done about it.
That wasn't the main point anyway.
“Fine, that damn ship sank, so let’s move on. The important thing is this. Just how far have you spread your reach?”
While I wasn't paying attention to The Society’s actions, just how big had these guys grown?
“Let’s see. Are you familiar with a company called BB? In the computer industry.”
“I know it.”
Who doesn't?
They’re the company that dominates everything from CPUs to graphics cards and memory.
“Yes, that is ours as well. Ah, it wasn't ours from the beginning. We acquired it midway.”
“…Huh?”
“You seem surprised. Then, are you familiar with the mobile phone company called Propia?”
I knew it. They were the second or third largest in the world…
“…Hey, don't tell me.”
“Yes, that is also ours.”
“Dammit.”
Just what the hell happened while I was gone?
These guys used to be a bunch of crazy hole-in-The Wall lunatics selling painkillers on battlefields and getting bombed for their trouble.
“I believe that should serve as an explanation.”
Enclu spat out those words with a shameless smile.
“…Is this your doing?”
I spoke, upgrading the danger level of the man before me.
My voice likely contained a faint trace of hostility that even I couldn't control.
“I merely provided the direction. All I am good at is running an organization a bit more efficiently, looking a bit further ahead, and being a bit better at calculations. The underlying technology and capabilities belong entirely to The Society.”
Perhaps due to my hostility, his composure cracked slightly, and he became a bit more talkative.
However, it was only a small difference.
He maintained his calm for the most part and continued speaking.
“Don't dodge the question. The reason I left The Society alone was because you weren't a major threat to humanity. But now, you’ve practically become one of the pillars of human society. Why did you expand your size this much?”
Just looking at the list of companies mentioned, it was safe to say that a significant number of major corporations were in The Society’s grasp.
While both I and the Management Bureau were unaware, The Society’s tentacles had burrowed deep into human society.
Deep enough that the moment anyone tried to cut those tentacles, human society would collapse.
Perhaps letting them run free had been a mistake.
Thinking this, I waited for Enclu’s answer.
Before long, Enclu, now with a bead of sweat on his brow, opened his mouth.
“America is a great country.”
“…What kind of random nonsense is that?”
“Most of our core technologies are influenced by the Otherworld. Originally, in Asia or Europe, where The Society focused its efforts, we couldn't really spread our wings.”
Wasn't that just because you guys were terrible at management?
More importantly…
“…I asked what you meant by that,” I pressed him again.
He kept spouting things that had nothing to do with my question.
But Enclu didn't stop.
“But did you know? The moment a branch was established in America, they accepted our technology explosively. They even gave us the Management Bureau’s seal of safety. Can you even imagine that sight?”
For the first time, Enclu’s expression crumbled.
Instead of a smile, he began to laugh.
“Thanks to that, The Society grew explosively. Yes. To the point where we’ve practically succeeded in half-conquering the world without shedding a single drop of blood. In the past, humanity called this land the New World. It truly lives up to that name.”
A grand speech, laced with laughter.
It wasn't the answer I wanted to hear.
Therefore…
Thud.
I kicked back my chair and lunged across the table.
“I asked why you grew this big.”
I grabbed him by the collar and asked again.
My words carried the intent that if he spoke any more nonsense, even The Society would become my enemy.
Silence fell at that single sentence.
Enclu’s talkative mouth snapped shut.
I waited for an answer, agonizing over the possibility that I might have to cut ties with an old acquaintance.
Tick, tock.
About fifteen seconds passed.
“…Everything is for Lady Linshua.”
Enclu finally spoke.
“…What?”
“The world must accept the Otherworld. Somehow.”
“…”
“So that the existence of the Otherworld becomes a matter of course. So that Lady Linshua can walk under the sunlight once again.”
“…”
“That is all.”
Hearing those words…
I quietly let go of his collar.
I had no choice but to let go.
That was the kind of answer it was.