Chapter 418: smorz(2)
Chapter 418: smorz(2)
It was around the time I returned from my third information-gathering sortie, having left The Child in Svetlana’s care.
“Do you have a moment?”
Brantley approached me as I made my return.
“What is it?” I replied, my tone flat.
“It’s about the results of Chloe’s psychological evaluation,” Brantley said. His expression was slightly dark, his voice heavy with gravity.
My immediate reaction was:
Who? Who’s Chloe?
But the thought lasted only a second. In this situation, there was only one person he could be talking about.
“Ah, so the girl’s name was Chloe.”
“…Hmph. I have a few things I’d like to say to that, but I shall hold my tongue.”
Upon hearing my remark, Brantley’s usual gentlemanly facade slipped, one eyebrow arching sharply in a look of sheer disbelief. However, his face quickly returned to its original composure.
I wanted to ask him what he was so worked up about, but I decided to hold my tongue as well.
“So, about the psychological evaluation…”
He continued as if nothing had happened.
“Make it short,” I interrupted.
“It isn’t particularly long. But since you want it brief, I’ll give you only the conclusion.”
Brantley took a deep breath.
“We must evacuate her.”
His voice and expression were laced with a trace of anger, which was quite unlike him.
“I know that. That’s why I’m planning to hand her over to Ultimate as soon as it’s light out—”
“No. I mean she needs to be sent to the Management Bureau immediately.”
He was dead serious. When I didn't respond and simply stared at him, he began to explain, his gaze so intense it was almost overbearing.
“In cases where an esper’s powers haven't stabilized yet, multiple abilities can manifest simultaneously.”
He glared at me as he spoke, enough to make even me feel pressured.
“It’s possible because the power is still pure, its direction yet to be determined. Because it isn't specialized in one area, it doesn't exert massive influence, but conversely, it manifests as a variety of different abilities.”
His explanation grew rapid and urgent, as if he didn't want to waste a single second.
“Presence concealment, long-range clairvoyance, preservation of vital signs, forced mental stabilization, and sustained physical dormancy.”
An ominous resonance followed his words.
“These are powers being used instinctively for the sake of survival. It’s likely not that Chloe failed to find a specialized ability. It’s that she instinctively avoided finding one in order to stay alive.”
“And what does that have to do with this conversation?”
I cut him off. He was talking fast, but the conversation was dragging. My tone carried a heavy sense of 'So what?'
One might call me cold-hearted, but the weight of his argument wasn't enough to justify an immediate evacuation.
“Even if those powers are the reason she witnessed her parents' deaths firsthand?”
Shocking words spilled from Brantley’s mouth, fueled by his indignation. The content was jarring, but there was something else that made me even angrier.
“You… did you ask her?”
Thud.
My own emotions surged. I had told him not to go that far. My anger flared at the fact that Brantley had extracted such information.
“No, I deduced it indirectly. During the psychological evaluation, the very option of 'searching for her parents' had vanished from her behavioral patterns. This indicates she is aware that her parents are no longer in this world. Considering her other reactions and her innate abilities, it is the only logical conclusion.”
“…”
I doubted him. I wondered what kind of questions Brantley had actually put to Chloe. I started a mental list of questions to ask Svetlana later.
“Yes, feel free to doubt me. But that isn't what’s important right now. And personally, I believe it would be right to grant her peace.”
“You son of a…”
Just as I was about to clock him in the jaw for those words—
“There are many ways besides death. Memory Erasure, the deletion of concepts. Some might call it death due to the loss of continuity, but the despair of moving forward after losing everything precious will be too heavy for that child to bear.”
“I told you before never to spout that crap again.”
Losing precious memories is already a form of death.
The bastards who claim the price of Prohibition’s S-Rank Technique is light need to see what happens when a person truly breaks.
I remembered the sight of a man who, through that price, couldn't recognize his last remaining family heirloom and tossed it in the trash like common garbage. I remembered his shattered, hollow face.
The way he stood there, completely soul-crushed and speechless when we told him what it was. The madness of a man trying to piece his life back together by asking others for tiny fragments of memories he could never recall on his own.
“Yes, I am well aware that this conviction of mine is twisted. But I also know for a fact that there are people who are saved by it.”
“I don't have time to argue.”
Arguing with a man as broken as Brantley was like staring at a horizon—you could walk forever and never reach The End. This applied to everyone on the Assassination Team.
Since they were beings who lived with such warped values and mindsets, trying to discuss things and find a compromise was a futile, infinite loop. Even when presented with clear evidence that their methods were wrong, they refused to acknowledge it.
Like the time Brantley spoke with a kind face to a man who had lost his wife and child and was suffering eternally. With the man's permission, Brantley erased his memories and the very concepts of his family.
And like how that man, who had supposedly overcome his despair, found no reason to live just a few months later and hanged himself with a smile on his face.
Even when shown the suicide note that read, 'My life has become empty,' Brantley only replied:
“Did he not go with a smile?”
“Yes, we are short on time. I also know it is cruel to present such a choice to a young child.”
Wow, so you are human after all.
I thought the only shred of humanity you had left was the fact that you at least asked for the person's consent.
“Chloe’s mind is on the verge of collapse. The death of her parents, a long period of isolation from human contact, the mutation of her neighbors, and the sudden appearance of an unknown power. It’s a miracle she’s held on this long.”
This man, Brantley, whose humanity had sunk to the bottom of the abyss, was telling me this. He was insisting we evacuate Chloe for her own sake.
His words made my internal scales waver.
“Two days. The Defense Force will be here in two days.”
I cast my vote for continuing the operation. I knew that those pushed into a corner don't always break.
Brantley stared at me. For some reason, he felt much taller than usual. From a place high above my head, he looked down at me and spoke.
“Are you planning to add another member to the Assassination Team?”
His voice was calm and cold.
“…What are you talking about?” I replied, my voice uncharacteristically small.
“The final destination for Awakened who have lost their minds but haven't crossed the line. The Assassination Team. I was asking if you intended to put one more name on that list.”
“…You really do know you’re a freak, don't you?”
“There are three kinds of madmen in this world. Those who know they are mad and act normal, those who act mad, and those who think the world is mad.”
I wondered what the third one was, but it wasn't important.
Evacuation.
I agonized over it. Deeply.
It was a situation where even Brantley felt the need to rebuke me. Though he was no longer a doctor, he was offering his opinion based on his old convictions.
Of course, I had seen many people overcome such desperate situations and strengthen their will, so I tended to think little of such concerns. Conversely, I also knew many who failed to overcome it and simply withered away.
Therefore, I should have followed the advice of a medical expert.
But the situation wouldn't allow it.
The Scales inside me wavered again and again, as countless pieces of information piled high on both trays.
A single child, Chloe.
A world-scale biohazard.
So many things were stacked on those scales now, making them sway endlessly.
Usually, I wasn't the one who looked at The Scales and made the final call.
I was the one who stood at the very front to crush The Enemy.
I was the one who stood at the very back to take every hit.
I was always a combat agent on the ground, a pawn. I was far removed from a leader who had to weigh every aspect of such a wide-ranging operation.
I had Command Authority, but I had virtually no experience taking responsibility for every outcome in a large-scale crisis like this.
Even if I assigned personnel to evacuate Chloe, it might not be a problem. We were the bait and the strike force anyway. The main strength of this operation was the Defense Force arriving in two days.
So, even if one of us was missing, the impact on the overall operation would be minimal.
But what if?
What if that slight tilt of The Scales brought a massive catastrophe upon the world?
That possibility haunted me.
Macbeth, the Lord of Infinite Castles… how could those old men always remain so calm in situations like this? I felt like vomiting just from the weight of this single choice resting on my shoulders.
In the midst of that, I spoke.
“…Is Chloe sleeping?”
“Yes, Svetlana is with her.”
“I’ll go see her for a moment.”
I postponed the decision. Brantley gave a slight nod, as if understanding my indecisiveness.
I quietly went to the place Brantley indicated and faced the scene within.
Svetlana was sitting by the bed with a grumpy expression, staring intently at the mattress. Chloe was sleeping peacefully on the bed.
I had considered the possibility that Chloe might be tossing and turning in a nightmare, but fortunately, that didn't seem to be the case.
It was a pocket of peace carved into a single room, a sight hard to reconcile with a place where ruin was unfolding. I squeezed myself into that peace.
I threw a question to the person submerged in that tranquility.
“Did Brantley say anything weird to you?”
“Fortunately, he was normal.”
Svetlana answered without turning her head toward me, even though I had addressed her. Well, whatever. I didn't know what she was thinking to make her work this hard, but as long as she wasn't complaining, it was a good thing.
“Did you hear the evaluation results?”
“Yes.”
A short answer, devoid of emotion. I took a moment to voice my thoughts.
“Evacuation. What do you think?”
I knew I shouldn't be doing this. But this choice was too heavy for me. I showed my weakness to my Former Subordinate.
“…I simply follow orders once they are given.”
Svetlana’s reply was, as always, cold and tinged with annoyance. I had halfway expected that answer, so I wasn't going to say anything more, but—
“However, as a personal opinion, I would like to cast a vote in favor of evacuation.”
Svetlana expressed her own view, which was unlike her.
“…May I ask why?”
I asked, wanting to hear her reasoning.
“Because I know all too well how childhood memories can ruin a person.”
She replied calmly. She still didn't look at me, instead using a handkerchief to wipe away the tears pooling in Chloe’s eyes.
Hearing that, a thought occurred to me.
The Assassination Team really is a group of human beings.
To think that both Brantley and Svetlana would hold such opinions. At this rate, I was the only bad guy here.
Given the atmosphere, if I asked Montague, he’d probably say something like, “The Child is a being of goodness, so we must evacuate her so she does not turn to evil.” Edward’s answer was a foregone conclusion.
That was exactly the vibe right now.
Actually, I knew in my heart that I should do it. The only problem was that I was the commander of this location.
This is killing me.
Old Man Macbeth. How on earth were you able to order even your closest adjutants to their deaths?
“Haaaaah.”
The moment I let out a long sigh—
“However, I think there might be a way to avoid sending her away. Just my personal opinion, though.”
“What is it?”
I’d never seen Svetlana talk this much. Wasn't she tired of it?
I felt like nothing she said could affect these complicated scales anymore. I was just about to let her words drift past me with another sigh when—
“If Captain Lee Ha-ram stays near Chloe, she will likely be fine. After all, Chloe has been looking for Captain Lee Ha-ram this whole time.”
“…What?”
Svetlana had uttered something I couldn't quite grasp. I looked for a more detailed explanation, but—
“That is what an emotional anchor is, Captain Lee Ha-ram.”
She fell silent after saying only that.
Whether she was too lazy to explain further, or whether she thought that was enough, I couldn't tell.