Chapter 58: Management Bureau – Heart
Chapter 58: Management Bureau – Heart
“So, that’s how I ended up running away. That’s the gist of it.”
“…It’s a pathetic sight.”
Librarian spoke those words, but he laughed pleasantly, playing along with the story.
Well, the jokes these guys made about my appearance had been a long-standing trope.
“I had to stop by anyway, didn’t I? My disciples won’t chase me all the way here, so it’s perfect.”
“You’re probably the only person who would request teleportation magic for a reason like that.”
“I’m just exercising my rightful privilege. What’s the big deal?”
Thump. Thump.
The footsteps of the two Heroes echoed quietly down the hallway.
A Magical Girl in the form of a Young Girl.
A blonde scientist with a slender frame.
At a glance, the blonde scientist might have looked like an ordinary, lanky researcher, but a closer look would reveal his peculiarities.
The whirring sound of a motor, suspiciously glowing red eyes.
The polished, translucent skin of his left hand, revealing the mechanical components beneath.
The fact that parts of his body were machine.
“The mechanical parts have increased since last time.”
I hadn’t really noticed because he rarely exposed his skin, but perhaps it was because today was just a simple cleanup job.
Because of his light attire, his mechanical body was more prominent.
“By the way, the proportion of machinery has gone up again. Wouldn’t it be better to just retire?”
Before you become beyond saving, like me.
“Not yet. The next generation to handle purification, reality adjustment, and other research hasn’t matured enough.”
He continued speaking, his voice laced with a mechanical distortion.
“What does it matter if my body turns into a machine as a side effect? It’s not like I’m the only one among our colleagues whose body is falling apart.”
“Once it actually happens, you’ll end up like me. Can’t you see I’ve become a dress-up doll at my age?”
Tsk.
If I had been even a moment late in realizing it, I might have passed away from the mental shock of being forced into those frilly clothes.
Those terrifying disciples.
Repaying kindness with such treachery.
“It’s a justifiable side effect. Becoming an eternal machine and dedicating oneself to humanity—that’s not so bad.”
Hahaha. Creak.
The sound of a rusted hinge echoed from his vocal cords.
Had his throat already been encroached upon as well?
“Didn’t you used to hate it, saying that as your body turns into a machine, your thoughts become too simple?”
“As I get older, that perspective has changed. I’ve started to think that even if I become such a thing, I should still protect the Management Bureau and the people.”
Has this guy also chosen the Management Bureau as his final grave?
If it’s Librarian, he might actually pull it off.
Even if his brain becomes a clockwork mechanism.
Even if his thoughts are reduced to nothing but pure electricity.
I knew that he would be the kind of being who would stand up for humanity until the very end.
“It would have been nice if you were the type without side effects, like Heavenly Sword.”
“I do envy him sometimes, but I can do things he cannot. There are pros and cons.”
Martial artists and mages didn’t suffer from side effects. Theirs was a power that even ordinary people could use if they trained.
Though they lacked absolute power, it was a technique that could reach the level of a lower-tier Hero after more than ten years of training.
The difference between a Hero and a civilian was merely the speed at which power accumulated and the initial total amount of power they possessed.
Now that Otherworldly Power was everywhere on Earth, even those who weren't Heroes possessed a small amount of power, unlike in our time.
“Has anyone awakened an Esper ability without being connected to a Story yet?”
“Not yet. There are theories that the concentration of Otherworldly Power needs to be higher, or that some additional process is required.”
I asked the question because it suddenly crossed my mind, but it seemed it hadn't happened yet.
There had been such predictions.
The idea that as Earth was gradually encroached upon by the Otherworld, special beings like Espers or transformation Heroes might awaken on their own.
Magical Girls were a different case from the start, so they were out of the question.
“Any way to fix the mechanization side effect?”
“There’s been no progress at all. At this rate, my entire body will likely turn into a machine first.”
“How many years do you have left?”
“It’s accelerating faster than expected. At this pace, I’ll be completely consumed within twenty years.”
Still, twenty years, huh?
That meant it would take nearly forty years for him to become that twisted. Why did I end up like this in just fifteen?
We continued walking down the hallway, discussing the current situation.
Past numerous authentication devices and passwords.
Beyond endless security facilities, we headed deep underground.
* * *
Beep. Bee-bee-beep.
—Password does not match. Please check again.
The notification message for a password error sounded for the third time.
Beep. Beep-beep.
—Password does not match. Please check again.
The fourth time.
Despite the repeated password failures, Librarian and I stared at the iron door as if nothing were wrong.
Beep. Bee-beep. Clang.
On the fifth attempt, Librarian entered the correct password, and the massive iron door blocking our path finally began to open.
“I could never manage to memorize that password.”
“It’s plain text, so isn’t it easy to remember? It’s only five sentences of sixty characters each.”
My brain can't handle that.
I forget my IDs and passwords for game companies; how am I supposed to remember a 300-character password?
And who even came up with the idea of failing the password four times in a row and then entering a different input at the end?
To top it off, the order and combination of those five sentences changed depending on the date?
Hardly anyone would even make it this far; I wondered who this password was even meant to bait.
With those thoughts, I looked toward the other side of the slowly opening iron door.
A place of pitch-black darkness where no light existed.
But that darkness was only a story from before the visitors arrived. As the iron door opened wide enough for a person to pass, the light bulbs hanging from the ceiling flickered on.
Deep underground, the Heart of the Management Bureau, a place whose existence was known to only a very few.
Even a quick glance revealed it was filled with absurd items.
The Seed of an O-Rank Monster.
The Apocalypse Mechanic, a hole-boring device that a certain Story's entity intended to use as a last resort.
The sealed final boss and executives of another Story.
Dozens of Perpetual Motion Machines providing infinite energy to the Management Bureau.
A clock said to be able to turn back time by sacrificing an entire world.
The Coffin of Despair, said to resurrect the dead as Otherworldly beings.
However, neither of us spared them a glance as we walked.
We were long past the age of finding interest in such things. Our reason for coming here today was for a different task.
“What are you going to feed it?”
“Relationships and Existence, I suppose. I stood out far too much during the last war.”
Better than me.
I had to feed it three things: Relationships, Existence, and Emotions.
As we entered the area where they were gathered, I could feel a mixture of numerous powers.
The Pseudo-Otherworld of the Lord of Infinite Castles.
Librarian’s Reality Manipulation.
Oxymoron’s Operating Room.
Macbeth’s sealing barrier.
Calavera’s soul-stealing.
The first act of the Yellow King’s Play.
There were six distinct powers that I could feel strongly.
But it didn't end there; it was a space where countless powers and machines were layered upon one another.
A place isolated from the world, created by overlapping powers so that it was severed from reality, ensuring the seal would never break even if something happened to one of the guardians.
At a glance, the place resembled a prison.
A long black corridor with iron-barred doors installed on both sides.
Above the doors were metal nameplates for the inmates.
However, instead of names, the metal plates were inscribed with strange words.
Relationships, Love, Past, Memory, Existence, Emotion, Life, Soul, Will…
An endless stream of bizarre words.
We walked through that grotesque prison and stopped before the door labeled Relationships.
“I’ll go first.”
“Sure.”
Librarian rolled up his sleeve and thrust his hand through the iron bars.
He was murmuring softly, likely recalling the relationships he wanted to keep to ensure they remained in his memory.
Shhhhhhh.
As soon as Librarian reached inside, the sound of something slimy crawling along the ground echoed.
A brown tentacle emerged from the bars and seized Librarian’s hand.
The tentacle, moving violently and dripping with mucus, clung to Librarian’s hand and began to squirm, but we watched with indifferent faces.
“Kigigiging-gigigieeeeek.”
A grotesque mouth formed on the surface of the tentacle.
The bizarre, soul-shaking sound vibrated through the prison, and as if in resonance:
“Kkurung-kkuragwagwagak.”
“Agkeogeugeueok.”
“Bugukeubukeuk geugeugeuk.”
The once-silent prison was now filled with a cacophony of noise.
Even in that clamorous situation, the two of us stared at the tentacle with grim expressions.
Crunch.
The mouth that had formed on the tentacle bit into Librarian’s arm.
Skin was torn away, and the blood filling his flesh was sprayed about. Still, we watched calmly.
Because that was no ordinary wound.
It was an act of devouring the relationships we had formed, transcending the laws of the world.
However, this wasn't a deletion performed based on my own standards.
There might be a Hero who saw my valor and felt a sense of admiration.
But I have no way of knowing what that Hero thinks of me.
Perhaps that Hero harbors a feeling of longing for me, and I have become a goal for them.
A one-sided relationship someone I don't know has with me.
The tentacle devours even those relationships.
Even if I don't know about it, as long as it's a relationship I possess, it doesn't matter.
A power that defies common sense. It was perfect for us.
A power beyond logic, used to hide numerous secrets and control our names so they wouldn't become known.
By feeding it Relationships, we reduce the number of people who know us.
By feeding it Existence, we reduce the information the world holds about us.
By feeding it Emotions, we put an end to someone’s rampage.
By feeding it Space, we have kept this place hidden from the world.
By feeding it Memory, we have hidden the corruption of the Management Bureau.
Most of the tentacles were my enemies, but there were also enemies from other Stories who possessed the ability to consume across time and space.
This was the space where they were gathered.
A place where they were bound by numerous restrictions and powers, kept alive merely to serve as tools.
A space of exploitation where we harvested that power for our own use.
Perhaps the reason my Story is so incredibly slow is because of this.
Because so many tentacles are alive.
“Ugh.”
Librarian, whose flesh was being continuously torn away, hurriedly pulled his arm back and distanced himself.
“Did it eat more than intended? Or less?”
“A bit more, it seems.”
“Someone important?”
“No. A friend from my school days. We haven't seen each other in a long time anyway, so it shouldn't matter.”
Librarian gave a bitter smile and moved toward the next location.
He must be going to feed it his Existence.
Then it’s my turn.
I rolled up my sleeve and thrust my arm through the iron bars.
Perhaps it was still hungry even after eating Librarian’s relationships.
The tentacle shot out at an incredible speed and began to bite into me.
The tentacle’s teeth couldn't even pierce my skin.
But regardless of physical damage, I could feel my relationships being eaten away.
A certain Hero who had looked at me.
He had harbored admiration for me.
But now, he would no longer be able to perceive me.
The memory would remain.
The fact that a Hero named Crimson★Hammer appeared and saved him.
But it would become unimportant.
If asked about it, he would just brush it off, saying, “Oh, that did happen,” and he wouldn't remember what kind of emotions he had felt toward me.
Even hearing the name Crimson★Hammer, he wouldn't be able to recall it immediately.
Even if he did recall the memory, it wouldn't lead to the emotion of admiration.
In that way, my existence was being forcibly erased from society.
Starting from relationships that meant nothing to me.
Gradually moving toward the important ones.
Little by little, bit by bit.
No one would be able to recall my exploits, and they would sink into the memories of others and vanish.
Was it because I had run wild so much this time?
Even though I had been drained for quite a while, the lines that needed to be severed were still visible.
Countless relationships vanished.
People I had met face-to-face, and people whose faces I had never even seen.
As I reflected on each and every one of them.
A certain face came to mind.
The man I had executed last as Black Marauder.
The Hero whose teeth had been shattered against a stone.
The sinner who had wailed in repentance at the end.
My relationship with him was about to vanish.
“Get lost.”
Why?
He was someone whose disappearance shouldn't matter.
The moment his face came to mind, I reacted violently and crushed the tentacle.
I told it not to eat any more of what was mine.
I didn't care if it ate my good deeds.
Those were things I had to do, things I had to do even without reward.
But my evil deeds are entirely mine.
They are a burden I must carry.
I cannot allow the atrocities of Black Marauder to be erased like this.
I forcibly tore the tentacle away.