Proof of Heaven
At the Scholar Society exchange meeting, they claimed I had created a soul. It was truly absurd. Especially when I considered that the circuit I had made was an outdated model no longer even used on Earth.
If a relic like that resembled a soul, then what about the latest artificial intelligences currently in active service?
‘Anyway, it really did feel almost human…….’
After marveling briefly at the astronomical coincidence that transcended universes, I carefully looked at Lucia standing behind Dr. Kuroi. The world’s first artificial intelligence. The first artificial emotion. The first android equipped with an artificial soul.
“—It is an honor to meet you, Creator.”
“……Right. How have you been?”
“Very well, thanks to you.”
Even with emotions and a soul, she didn’t seem much different from before. Well, quite some time had already passed since I granted her those emotions. There was no reason to make a fuss now that she knew she possessed a soul.
However, things seemed a little awkward between her and Dr. Kuroi. Or rather, it wasn’t exactly awkwardness. It was more like the fresh, clumsy tension you’d see in teenagers experiencing their first romance……
‘No, how old is this guy again.’
Could Dr. Kuroi really have never dated even at his age? I swallowed the rude thought that popped into my head and silently blessed their future together. Of course, if I said it out loud, the two of them would cause another scene, so I kept it to myself.
After chatting with them about souls for a while, Swallon and Dr. Siira approached from a distance. Upon spotting us, Dr. Siira scowled as if she had seen something unpleasant, but she didn’t leave—probably because Swallon was beside her.
“Dr. Eight. Congratulations in advance.”
“Dr. Swallon. For what, exactly?”
“What else? The ABC Prize, of course. Though for us, that award is little more than a neighborhood sports day competition.”
Swallon offered his congratulations as if my win were already confirmed, saying that even Scholar members needed at least one publicly visible achievement.
I let out a dry laugh and pointed at Dr. Siira standing next to him.
“It was a joint research project with her, wasn’t it? Aren’t you going to congratulate her too?”
“Oh—Dr. Eight. You’re more cruel than I thought. To think you were thinking that way……”
“See what I told you? That psycho’s not right in the head.”
While Swallon looked surprised, Dr. Siira immediately spat out a curse. Just like in the interview, profanity rolled off her tongue with ease. You could say her personality was as foul as her skin tone was dark.
Of course, knowing such a joke wouldn’t fly in this world, I didn’t voice it. I simply stared silently at Dr. Siira.
“……What? What are you staring at?”
“Nothing. I was just wondering when you’d show me something far superior to the paper I wrote, like you promised.”
“Ugh—j-just wait a little! You think papers come out overnight!?”
“They do for me.”
“You crazy bastard……!”
After lightly crushing Dr. Siira’s spirit, I chatted with the other Scholar members. One was a cultist who bowed whenever he saw me, and another was a lunatic who cursed at the sight of me—yet this was the most fulfilling time I’d had since falling into this world.
Their wisdom wasn’t lacking just because their knowledge was insufficient. They possessed the insight to sketch the full picture from even the smallest clues I offered.
“Oh, so that’s how it works……”
“Hmph. If I had researched it, it would’ve been better than that—”
“How dare you doubt the God of Science. Of course, if it were me—”
Look at that. Even Dr. Kuroi, who treated me as half a god, was raising objections to my words. This was the healthy spirit of scientific inquiry. This was proper scientific debate.
While we were talking, the subject of degrees came up. The three of them were briefly shocked to learn I still didn’t have one, but Swallon, accustomed to such matters, offered a practical solution.
“Well, it’ll be difficult to earn a doctorate with this paper alone. The committee members are notoriously rigid. Even if you win the ABC Prize, they won’t hand out a degree right away. Besides, aren’t you still under suspicion regarding your achievements? Some media outlets are even claiming you became a co-author because you’re Dr. Siira’s lover. Ah, of course, I know that’s not true.”
“Who’s this bastard’s lover!?”
“I understand. In that case, I suppose I’ll just have to write one more paper.”
Ignoring the shrieking Dr. Siira, I recalled the papers I had already written. The red pill, the tonic, and the magical girl outfit were out—they had to stay within Evils. The toy circuit had already been used by Dr. Kuroi to create Lucia.
Only one option came to mind: the anti-gravity device installed in the vehicles currently selling like hotcakes at Evils Inc. But that came with its own problems……
“I assume submitting a patent already released by a corporation as a paper wouldn’t work?”
“If you had filed it under your own name at the time, maybe. But if it’s under the company’s name, it won’t do.”
“Hmm…… Then what should I use?”
“Isn’t there something you haven’t made public yet? The research topic you received funding for from Scholar.”
“Ah, that—”
At Swallon’s words, I gave a bitter smile. The research I had planned with Scholar’s funding…… Ah, that one.
“I spent that research grant somewhere else.”
“What? No, you can’t misuse it like that……”
“What’s done is done. So I’ll just publish the results of the research I actually conducted with that grant.”
“No, that’s not something you can just brush off so lightly…… What about my super-acceleration turbo engine……?”
“There is no such thing.”
The hundred million dollars in research funding I had received for developing a super-acceleration turbo engine had all been spent. On what? Building the gate to Ardenia, Arima’s homeworld.
In other words, the only paper topic I could present was this: Proof of the Existence of Another World.
I gave them a rough explanation of my discoveries and the topic I planned to announce. As I spoke, the three of them grew increasingly stiff-faced.
“—Instead, this is what I intend to present.”
“……No, Dr. Eight. Are you serious?”
“This crazy bastard…… I knew he wasn’t right in the head, but still.”
“Oh God……”
I tilted my head at their dumbfounded expressions.
I wasn’t planning to reveal the gate to another world itself—just the fact that another world existed. I couldn’t understand why they were so shocked.
Was the existence of another world really that special? This was a world that already had demons, spirits, and even the World’s Enemies crossing dimensions.
I truly couldn’t understand it.
[Dr. Eight. Successfully Proves the Existence of Heaven.]
[Shocking Announcement Rocks the Scientific Community! The Afterlife Proven Real—Religious Circles Overflow with Tears of Emotion……]
[Pope Revokes Heresy Declaration Against the Two Doctors. “They Should Be Canonized as Saints.”]
I let out a dry laugh while looking at the internet articles. I had expected the proof of another world’s existence to become a hot topic. After all, it was a scientific verification of other worlds whose existence people already suspected.
But I never imagined it would be interpreted this way.
To think they would immediately jump from “another world” to “heaven and hell.” It was suspicious enough to make me wonder if the religious circles, whose faith was waning due to recent scientific advances, had orchestrated this.
‘Well, they certainly have enough reason to…….’
It was only natural for religious groups to go berserk at the news that a mere scientist had discovered the soul. Every human was made in God’s image. Therefore, everything about humanity was a perfect creation of God.
His grace was beyond doubt. Thus, it should be beyond human interpretation.
Yet I had discovered the soul and announced it. I had touched the reverse scale of the religious world.
Up to that point, they could have simply branded me a heretic and ignored me. But when I went further and claimed to have discovered heaven and hell, the story flipped 180 degrees.
From that moment on, I was no longer Satan’s spawn casting doubt on God’s existence—I was an apostle sent by God to make His presence more familiar.
‘Of course, what I actually discovered wasn’t heaven or hell…….’
What I had found was an ordinary otherworld. A different world where humans lived, where magic had developed instead of science, and where they worshipped their own gods rather than ours.
Of course, discovering only that world didn’t prove heaven and hell didn’t exist, so I had no intention of opening my mouth about it. After all, proving the nonexistence of something that doesn’t exist is the hardest thing of all.
“Heaven or hell, huh.”
It was already a heavily discussed topic in my original world, but even more so here. Unlike Earth, where God’s influence had hit rock bottom, Terra still placed weight on the name of God.
At the same time, there were far too many people who wanted villains to go to hell. They couldn’t stand the thought of villains who had killed their families and loved ones peacefully reincarnating or going to heaven.
Look. Here comes yet another lamb trembling at her fate.
“S-Scientist……!”
“Yeah. Aile. What’s wrong?”
“D-Does hell really exist? I mean…… D-Do villains go to hell!?”
It wasn’t something the proudly villainous magical girl should be asking, but I deliberately lowered my voice to tease her.
“Hell? Of course it exists.”
“H-Hiiik…! Th-Then what do I do!?”
“What do you mean? Just do your homework diligently, listen to your parents, and live a good life.”
“D-Do my homework diligently, listen to my parents……?”
Aile, who had been parroting my words, realized I was teasing her. She puffed out her cheeks and stuck out her lips in a pout. Even that textbook reaction was adorable.
After expressing her anger for a while, Aile suddenly shouted and stormed out of the lab.
“Th-There’s no such thing as hell……!”
“Huh? I’m telling you there is.”
“There can’t be……! I-I’m going to go bully some magical girls today too! Just like a proper villain!”
Watching Aile’s retreating figure dash away, I let out another dry laugh. I had simply failed to discover hell—I never said it didn’t exist in this world.
Besides, this world already had demons. If demons existed, how could hell not? Even if it wasn’t exactly the hell people imagined, a similar world surely existed.
‘Well, no need to tell her that.’
I thought as I watched Aile’s figure disappear into the distance. If anything, Aile seemed like she would live well even if she ended up in hell. Just think back to how she looked when I first met her. Didn’t she seem more suited to hell than heaven?
Of course, that didn’t mean I planned to let her actually fall into hell. Even if hell truly existed and we villains were sent there simply for being villains……
‘Even if hell really does exist…… I can just drag her out.’
After all, kicking down the gates of hell and walking out would be enough.