Chapter 98: The Script Part 1

After unpacking my things in the dorm again, the very first thing I did was head to the training grounds with Yuna.

“Johan suggesting we go to the training grounds? So you’ve finally decided to become my disciple? Well, it’s about time you accepted it if you have even a shred of conscience!”

“No, that’s not it.”

“What do you mean, no?!”

Yuna yelled loudly.

But what could I say?

I was the eldest son of a respectable family, and I didn’t harbor such deep resentment that I wanted to kill someone.

“Come at me for a bit, Yuna.”

“To what extent? Should I overwhelm you with sheer force?”

“…Just enough that I can see what’s happening with my eyes, please.”

“Alright, got it.”

Yuna began stretching her arms and legs in preparation.

I definitely asked her to go easy just enough that I could see it with my eyes.

So why was she loosening up like she was getting ready for an actual fight?

“Yuna, you’ll go easy, right?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll move just enough that you, Johan, can try pulling off some trick.”

“Okay, I’m counting on you.”

“Then here I come!”

And Yuna began rushing toward me.

Her movements were swift and agile, yet light.

She moved so quietly and quickly that it seemed like she wouldn’t even leave footprints, and in no time, she was near me.

Thankfully, she approached at a pace I could follow with my eyes, just as I had asked.

Now, it was my turn.

There was one reason I came to the training ground today.

“Huh?”

As Yuna charged straight at me, she suddenly lost her balance and fell.

[Advanced Illusion Magic: Sensory Distortion]

Ironically, it was only after I let go of my lingering regrets about the past that I was able to learn advanced magic.

An advanced illusion spell that could twist even another person’s senses.

If it worked on Yuna too…

“Echo! Surprise.”

“Gak?!”

Crack!

But Yuna quickly regained her balance, rushed at me, tripped me up, and twisted my wrist in a lock.

“Wow, for a moment, my left foot and right hand switched! That was seriously amazing. That was advanced illusion magic, right?”

“It was…”

But why was she able to regain her balance so easily?

I thought I’d made incredible progress, but my confidence plummeted just like that.

“Now you really could be my disciple. If you add illusion magic to my techniques, you’ll totally surpass the master, you know?”

“No thanks. And move.”

“Then I say no too.”

And so, I lay on the floor of the training grounds for a while, staring up at the clouds.

The world really is vast.

I still can’t even grasp the full extent of Yuna’s strength.

“Yuna.”

“Mhmm?”

“Now seriously, move.”

“Heave-ho.”

With that, Yuna stood up.

Yeah, that’s how you should always listen.

“What are you gonna do now?”

“First, return some books at the library, then head to the workshop.”

“You’re working hard.”

“I’d honestly rather slack off too, but I’ve got too much to do.”

Cure Ariel’s illness and raise her to the level of Archmage. Fulfill the promise I made with great warrior Vidar.

Stop Kult and save Helena.

How did I end up getting so deeply involved with such important figures?

No, let’s not make excuses.

If I really didn’t want to, I could’ve stayed out of it all. I could’ve ignored everything.

But…

“I need to harvest what I sowed.”

I do have a sense of responsibility, after all.

If something happened because of my mistake, then I should be the one to fix it.

***

After returning the books at the library, I parted ways with Yuna on my way back to the workshop.

Even though I hadn’t asked her, it seemed like Yuna was planning to investigate the rumors that had been spreading through the capital lately.

Well, gauging the surrounding situation is practically a professional habit for her.

To be honest, I have no intention of getting involved in this particular incident.

It feels like one of those plot threads from the original story, and something Lobelia should handle, not me.

The most I’d do was tell Ariel “well done” and “good job” when she comes back after wrapping things up.

That’s where I stand now.

“Now then… where’s Professor Georg?”

Just as I arrived at the workshop.

I found myself standing in an empty workshop. Normally, either Senior Jabir or Professor Georg would be around, but it seemed both were away. Probably because it was the break.

“Guess they had other plans.”

Worried that something might’ve happened to them, I checked the materials in the back, but everything was in order.

In fact, I noticed they’d even been treated for long-term preservation.

This wasn’t something sudden. They clearly had this planned from the start.

Seeing as both of them are gone at the same time, Professor Georg probably took Senior Jabir along as his disciple to a conference or somewhere similar.

It’s painful not having anyone to help, but if they’re safe, that’s good enough.

“Well, time to do my own work.”

In the end, I just had to do what I always did. That was to pour those expensive materials into my projects.

Things like taxes and budgets are nothing but obstacles to great inventions.

Fully prepared to burn through the Cradle’s funding, I raided the storage and brought out a load of high-priced materials.

And when I reached what was basically my personal seat—

“Hmm? What’s this?”

—there, sitting on my desk, was a palm-sized spider… no, a spider-shaped mechanical device.

“What is this?”

Cautiously, I approached it. With craftsmanship like this, it had to be something from Ex Machina.

And there were only two people around me who could’ve made that.

One was Coran Lekias, though I can barely even say we’ve met.

The other was Emily Robinhood.

“Hmm.”

Keeping a slight distance, I examined the device’s exterior.

When it noticed me, the little machine waved its front legs, almost as if greeting me.

“This one’s Emily’s…”

From the outer structure and the refined design, it was definitely one of Emily’s creations.

So why was it here?

Scratch, scratch-scratch!

Before I could even finish that thought, the spider-shaped machine began scraping my desk with its front legs.

Oh no, Professor Georg is totally going to scold me for handling the desk roughly.

While feeling all of that, I looked over the sentence the device had written.

“What is this… an address?”

The machine nodded.

Was it possibly equipped with some kind of AI?

Or maybe it had been programmed in advance to respond to my questions with certain behavior?

Either way, this was clearly a signal Emily had sent me.

But she had to know that I’d returned to my hometown.

If that was the case, this could be a distress signal or something urgent.

“……”

Had there been a setback in Emily’s research? Or had her affiliation with Ex Machina somehow been exposed?

“Or maybe…”

Emily wasn’t just a member of Ex Machina. She was also Lobelia’s close aide and Stan’s sister.

If another imperial member was trying to keep Lobelia in check, cutting off her right-hand people would be one of the most straightforward methods.

And with recent reports that the Second Prince Loki had been on the move, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

The fact that someone as cunning and underhanded as the Second Prince was taking action likely meant he was ready to strike at another member of the imperial family.

He could’ve targeted Emily in an attempt to exploit a weakness in Stan, Lobelia’s right-hand man.

“…What do I even do about this?”

That guy was just like Kult.

But unlike Kult, he had neither a cause nor a conscience.

A vile and ruthless imperial member.

The Second Prince Loki was exactly that kind of person.

After writing down the address on my desk, the mechanical device shut down.

It must’ve been programmed to deactivate the moment it delivered its message.

One thing was certain….this machine was definitely Emily’s work.

I owned several of her inventions myself, so I couldn’t help but recognize her style.

“Hmm…”

But if this really was an emergency?

I could just pretend I didn’t know. But if something happened to her, then the artificial heart for Helena would be in jeopardy too.

“Yuna won’t be back anytime soon…”

I kept trying to justify it to myself, but the real reason I was hesitating was simple.

Without her protection, I’d become someone who couldn’t move around on my own.

Yuna had spoiled me too much.

“…The timing is just too damn suspicious.”

And now, something urgent had come up.

The boost in self-esteem from having mastered advanced illusion magic.

It gave me the feeling that maybe I could handle things just fine on my own, even without Yuna.

And that’s the most dangerous thought of all.

“Hmm…”

I’m not in the habit of stepping into obvious traps.

Wouldn’t it be better to just sit tight and wait for Yuna to come back?

But what if something happened to Emily because of that?

Strictly speaking, I wasn’t even supposed to be here at this point in time.

Maybe Emily hadn’t expected much and just sent the device on a whim.

But my instincts were clear.

I shouldn’t go out there.

– Cautious, aren’t you?

“……?!”

As I hesitated, a flat, emotionless voice came from behind me.

I quickly turned my head, but there was no one there.

Instead, what I heard near my ear was the soft crackle of burning firewood.

– Just as expected.

The second voice came from the direction of my desk.

From the mechanical device that had just engraved those letters onto the desk’s surface.

Something began to cling to the device, like rust slowly spreading over metal.

In the blink of an eye, the device was engulfed and started changing shape, growing larger and altering its structure… until it became the size of a person.

Then, with glowing red eyes, the grotesque machine spoke:

– It’s only proper to have a conversation in a physical form, don’t you think? Now then, Johan Damus. Who do I look like to you?

Emily held an executive position even within Ex Machina.

That was purely thanks to her exceptional technical skills.

In Ex Machina, rank was determined solely by technological prowess.

So then… what was this being that defied all reason, standing before me?

“The Scriptwriter.”

The one who oversees the researchers of Ex Machina, spreading nanomachines across the Empire to monitor and execute plans.

“Deus.”

– Correct. Well done.

I ran a hand through my hair as I stared at the mechanical being in front of me.

To be honest, I wasn’t even that surprised anymore.

What was surprising was that, while everyone else had made a scene right in front of me, this one had only just now decided to show up.

“What happened to Emily?”

– Nothing at all. I’ve only borrowed this for a moment.

“Then why did Emily send me the mechanical device in the first place?”

Borrowed or not, the device itself was clearly Emily’s.

Which meant she must’ve had a reason to send it to me. That part was a given.

– Do you really want to hear the reason? I doubt you’ll like it.

“Are you sure nothing’s happened to her?”

– Hmm, I can sense hostility.

Of course you can.

The fact that this thing hijacked Emily’s device and showed up in front of me in such a creepy, underhanded way…how could I not be hostile?

How was I supposed to trust a lunatic who would do anything in the name of research?

He could’ve done something to Emily.

– Very well. Then I’ll tell you the truth. This device is one of the units that’s been monitoring you all this time.

“…Huh?”

– She must’ve been so happy to have made a friend outside of her family. Happy enough to monitor and analyze your every move.

“….…”

– Didn’t I say you wouldn’t like hearing it?

Yeah, I really didn’t.

Are you telling me a kid I knew was basically stalking me?

That’s… awful.

If I’d never known, at least I wouldn’t have to feel this uncomfortable about it.

“One of the units, you said…?”

– I don’t interfere with the research of those under me. I respect their work. You’ll have to figure out the rest yourself.

“Right. How about you start managing your people?”

With lunatics like them running around doing whatever they want, no wonder Ex Machina gets lumped in with terrorist groups like Eden and Lemegeton.

– I’ll handle that my way!

“……”

A voice that somehow managed to sound annoyed, even through its mechanical monotone.

Of course the head of a bunch of crazy researchers would have a nasty personality.

– Now then, may I finally get to the reason I’m here?

“…….”

– I need your help.

“And why would I help you?”

– Because I need your cooperation.

“Ah. Of course.”

What a crazy bastard.