The Fifth Creation's Aftermath
The scholars who had personally experienced the effects of the genetic serum could no longer control their burning bodies. They swarmed toward me in a frenzy. To them, my doctoral degree no longer mattered in the slightest.
To escape the scholars spouting such terrifying offers, I set up a chalkboard in the middle of the conference hall and began a group lecture. Since the demonstration was over, it was time to persuade them with theory as well.
Fortunately, this was my area of expertise. Scribbling complicated equations on the board, then explaining them to people who knew nothing about the subject—it was all second nature to me.
And surprisingly, explaining the genetic serum to the society members turned out to be incredibly enjoyable. Even top university students couldn't hide their boredom during regular lectures, but these people were different.
Every single one of them was a being that thirsted for knowledge. If there was something they didn't know, they had to learn it as quickly as possible—and more than anyone else—to feel satisfied.
They were truly rewarding students to teach. I finally understood why professors' eyes would sparkle when they spoke about certain promising pupils.
'No, no. Stop that.'
I shook my head vigorously to clear away the stray thoughts and continued the lecture. The society members lightly memorized the parts they didn't understand and moved on, while bombarding me with questions about the parts they did understand, trying to grasp them even better.
After quite some time had passed like this, the president of the society realized the atmosphere had grown too heated. He cleared his throat several times and stepped forward.
The president smiled warmly as he spoke. After using that kindly smile to shoo away the other society members and letting the heated atmosphere cool down a bit, he casually brought up the main topic.
Naturally, there wasn't a single person who objected. Every society member present raised their hand in approval and stared at me intently. They looked at me with the exact same eyes professors had shown before I entered the research institute—the eyes that said they would never let me go.
I didn't even have any esper abilities like Regalia, yet I found myself slightly overwhelmed by the pressure they were emitting. It was an instinctive reaction I couldn't help…
"So you can't find anything about esper abilities on the internet… Of course that makes sense."
"Why is that?"
"Because esper abilities are essentially a military resource. It's illegal to upload tank blueprints online even if they've been around for decades, isn't it?"
After listening to the president's explanation, I nodded as if I roughly understood. In a world where individual power could surpass modern weaponry, spreading methods to enhance that power was illegal. That was the idea.
Indeed, uncontrollable power would be quite troublesome from a nation's perspective. If knowledge about esper abilities were casually released and villain organizations that developed their capabilities using that knowledge started popping up everywhere? It would be an absolute headache.
A society where villains disguised as ordinary citizens could unleash power greater than tanks or fighter jets at any moment would never function properly.
"Anyway—since you're now a member of our Esper Research Society, Doctor, you'll be able to access information that isn't publicly available on the internet. Of course, leaking it is illegal. You understand what that means, right?"
"Yes. It's illegal. That's what you're saying?"
It meant I didn't particularly need to worry about it since I was a villain myself. More precisely, they would turn a blind eye if I used it on fellow members of the villain organization. Uploading anything online would cause annoying complications, and I had no intention of posting what I learned here on the internet anyway.
"I'm glad you understand so well."
"There's some data I'd like to look at right away."
"Most of the materials can be easily accessed through our intranet. Before you leave, I'll give you a member ID and password, so feel free to browse with those…"
After that, I had a private conversation with the president in his office. The kind of secret stories that couldn't be taken outside. The various topics that only those at the cutting edge of intellect could share with each other.
Once the conversation was over, the president let out a satisfied chuckle.
"Thank you. I didn't expect to meet someone like you either, President."
"Someone like Dr. Eight would certainly qualify."
"—Qualify, you say?"
"Yes. Qualify."
The president smiled as he began fiddling with something in his room. The next moment, the entire room started turning pitch black. Thinking he might be plotting something against me, I casually reached for my watch, but the president waved his hands apologetically.
"…You're blocking light and sound?"
"That's correct. It even blocks electromagnetic waves. No one will be able to know what happens inside this room."
Light, sound, electromagnetic waves, and vibrations. His determination to prevent any information from leaking out of this room was clear. Just what needed to be hidden so thoroughly that he had prepared something like this?
I shrugged as if to say, "Go ahead and tell me," while keeping my hand on my watch.
"Scholar…? First time I've heard of it."
"Scholar is a worldwide research organization. In other words, it's a group where the most renowned scholars from around the globe gather. The number of members is small enough to count on both hands."
Upon hearing the president's words, I finally understood why Regalia had sent me here even at the risk of revealing her identity.
Indeed, risking her identity being exposed just to join a society with hundreds or thousands of members like the Esper Research Society would have been far too dangerous.
But if there was an even greater secret hidden behind it? Then it made some sense.
"…Any research materials at all?"
"Yes. Literally any materials."
There was even a hint of madness in his voice when he said they could supply any materials. Moreover, the preceding conditions were quite substantial. Even I, who received absurd salaries and research budgets from the boss every year, was genuinely surprised by the level of support.
There was no way they would offer this much support without any conditions. There had to be appropriate terms attached. I slightly hardened my expression and asked.
"What do you…"
In that sense—
"…I'm not that young."
The president began to tremble.
"It really wasn't that big of a deal."
I closed my mouth tightly and fell into thought. Should I join this mysterious organization called Scholar?
'The fact that Regalia sent me here probably means she wants me to join—'
In that case, there was no need to refuse. They were offering a million dollars just for breathing and up to ten billion dollars in research funding. Why would I turn that down? Only an idiot would refuse.
When I nodded and casually extended my hand, the president broke into a wide smile and shook it firmly.
The president burst into laughter upon realizing the meaning of my name. Really. It seemed I had some kind of bad relationship with the number eight.
After becoming a member of Scholar, I was led to a secret laboratory. The moment Dr. Kuroi saw me there, he immediately dropped to his knees upon realizing who I was.
"…Excuse me?"
I had no idea why he was suddenly acting like this.