novelraw Chapter 61 : Chapter 61
Chapter 61 : Chapter 61
Chapter 61: Exorcism (1)
“Wait until around midnight.”
Abel said as he sat in his chair.
A vivid night light was coloring the office.
“An exorcism is scheduled in the infirmary. You will accompany me as the recorder.”
[Understood, Professor.]
Fabien stood in a corner of the office.
He had just returned after taking Monika back to her dormitory. Abel, facing the round table as usual, laid out his equipment and began to wipe each piece one by one.
Blackened towels, a wilting yellow rose, a Hero doll clad in armor, and equipment that should have been discarded were scattered on the round table.
[Professor Argento.]
Fabien’s mouth opened.
[Requesting information supplement.]
Abel raised his head.
The latest model golem would occasionally request information from its owner. This was to supplement the data embedded in its mana reactor as needed and improve its intelligence through a series of learning processes. Like a child repeatedly asking its parent questions.
“Ask away.”
Abel responded nonchalantly.
Placing his beloved sword on his thigh, he wiped the blade with a blackened towel. Swish, swish. The rough surface of the towel rubbed against the residue stuck to the blade.
[I can guess, but I will ask to collect a definitive result. Why does Monika-nim treat a golem as if it were a living being?]
“Because she doesn’t know.”
Abel said, as if tossing the words out.
“Humans cannot know the non-human. That is why they treat the non-human as if they were human. It's the same with other races, and the same with beasts. It’s also common to project humanity onto objects.”
[Are you referring to the process of personification?]
“Something like that.”
Fabien’s mana reactor began to flicker.
Abel’s eyes narrowed as he wiped his beloved sword. The light emitted from the mana reactor stimulated his vision. A radiance that adorned the dark office. Abel rubbed his eyes and opened his mouth.
“It seems hard for you to accept.”
A sigh was mixed in Abel’s voice.
“The act of a human mourning a golem.”
[...That is correct.]
The flickering of the mana reactor stopped.
Fabien continued speaking with a straight posture.
[As you know, my mana reactor is appended with various knowledge. Information on magic, philosophy, art, religion, and language. In terms of books, it would be a volume close to several thousand.]
“Impressive.”
Abel shrugged his shoulders.
Swish, swish, as he indifferently wiped the blade.
[At the same time, an automatic calculation system is built-in. I can solve tens of thousands of mathematical formulas per second. Through this, the latest model golem learns. To learn the errors of magic, the contradictions of philosophy, the futility of art, the duality of religion, and the limits of language.]
“I suppose so.”
[It must be thanks to that. I know.]
Just as Professor Argento said…, he thought.
Fabien tilted his head and muttered.
[That Monika-nim was playing make-believe.]
There would be a good example to list.
Fabien’s calculation system diagnosed so. The case of a child who regards a doll as a being. It was a fairly common case.
To a child, a doll was not an object. It was a proper being. But with a high probability, the doll would break. It would get dirty, and its body would be damaged. A doll was that kind of toy. It was close to a tool for teaching the decline of existence.
[To Monika-nim, the golem must have been an effective practice partner. What other subject would be as good as a golem for practicing death.]
But I do not know.
I need a supplement of information.
Fabien whispered so.
[I want to know about mourning.]
“...Right.”
Abel swept his hair back.
He rolled his hazy eyes and met Fabien’s gaze. Fabien’s expression looked desperate at a glance, but it was nothing more than a mere imitation. It was just that his expression was automatically manipulated in response to the situation. Fabien was not requesting information based on emotion, but requesting information out of necessity.
Because his own mourning was incomplete.
Because he could not perform it perfectly.
“The data was certainly insufficient. There may have been cases of mourning a golem, but cases of proposing to mourn together would be rare.”
Abel muttered in an indifferent tone.
Ahem. After clearing his throat to create a pause, he continued.
“Fabien, you are an object.”
[I know. Golems are objects.]
“Objects don’t have emotions. Nor do they have desires.”
[I know that as well. It must be one of the laws that distinguish living beings from objects.]
“But objects evoke emotions.”
[That is correct. Some objects stimulate the emotions of intelligent life forms. Golems would also belong to such objects.]
“Isn’t that how objects live?”
[...Pardon?]
Fabien’s mana reactor began to flicker.
A calculation was made to understand Abel’s words.
Abel was not looking at Fabien. After shaking off the blackened towel, he was merely looking over his beloved sword, which was still just as filthy.
“I believe this sword is alive.”
There was no lie in Abel’s words.
Abel truly believed his beloved sword was alive.
He didn't mean a sword with a self, a so-called Ego Sword. There were plenty of creatures that were alive without a self. Not only single-celled organisms, but there were also creatures that would not die a natural death if the conditions were met.
The ways of life were as numerous as the types of creatures.
“Through this sword, I…”
A faint smile graced Abel’s lips.
“can avoid forgetting my emotions.”
It makes me feel relieved.
It makes me feel regret.
If I didn't have this sword, I would have forgotten such feelings long ago.
Because they ceased to be important. To rejoice, or to feel wronged.
I do not project humanity onto objects. It is objects that project humanity onto me.
Perhaps that is how the creatures called objects live. They implant emotions as if carrying seeds, and because of that, humans treat objects as if they were their own kind. Isn't it through this that objects acquire a biological nature?
Abel muttered so.
[...This is incorrect information.]
Fabien said, stuttering.
[All life was created by the Main Gods. Therefore, an object can never be a living being….]
“I agree as well, Fabien.”
Thud.
Abel placed his beloved sword on the table.
“It’s an irrefutable, sound argument. But this is troublesome. Because your thoughts will soon change.”
Abel said, rummaging through the inner pocket of his coat.
A worn-out journal. Abel had, at some point, taken it out.
“You won’t die. Because you are an object.”
The pages that made up the journal fluttered.
Fabien stood still. Abel, who had opened the journal at random, glanced at Fabien for a moment, then opened his mouth towards the empty air.
“──You must be able to see.”
Light.
Light enveloped Fabien.
No, it was different. It was a vivid darkness. It was so bright that Fabien’s vision went black. His visual circuit had been paralyzed. The mana reactor, detecting an operational error, began to turn red.
“Since I have placed it so close to me.”
Abel’s voice became faint.
Eventually, no sound could be heard.
It was because the mana reactor had decided to reboot. Fabien’s body slumped once, and the flickering mana reactor flashed again. After going through the reboot process, Fabien lifted his head. Even so, it was only for a very brief moment. The time Fabien fully perceived the situation.
[I see.] [I am seeing.] [I see well.] [I am watching.] [I will see.]
The afterimages of five beings that made up the empty air.
What were their identities? Fabien could not say for sure. Even if he mobilized all the information inherent in his mana reactor, he could not identify them.
Why, he thought. For the first time, Fabien questioned. It was not a question out of necessity. It was a question based on emotion. A miraculous doubt was spreading inside Fabien.
[...Gods.]
And so, Fabien answered himself.
He could realize it without supplementing his information. They were indeed gods. It wasn’t a confirmation, and he didn't even know why, but Fabien concluded that the beings that had appeared before his eyes were gods.
[But why….]
Again, why, he thought.
A question welled up in Fabien’s mana reactor.
His vision began to distort and sound began to scatter. It was ceasing to operate. And so, in a fleeting moment, what Fabien clearly perceived was a mere question.
Why is it? They must be gods, but why.
[...Are you the same as me?]
──Thud!
Fabien collapsed.
Screech, screech. Static noise erupted from Fabien’s mana reactor.
Abel closed the journal. The radiance that adorned the empty air scattered, and the outlines of the Main Gods also vanished. As a silence as dark as the night scene descended upon the office,
“...Do I have to carry him again?”
Abel let out a sigh.
After putting the journal in the inner pocket of his formal wear, he rose and stood facing Fabien. The sound of metal followed. Abel strode forward with Fabien slung over his shoulder. A lumpy shadow shimmered on the marble floor.
Dong, dong.
Along with the bell announcing midnight.
* * *
Late at night, in the Cia-Harphe Academy infirmary.
Fabien opened his eyes. His narrowly opened gaze regained its focus. The dry, settled air, the bitter smell of boiled medicinal herbs, the faint sound of snoring. Fabien grasped the situation through a few pieces of information. It seemed he had been sprawled in the infirmary hallway for a long time.
What was the reason? By what had his operation been stopped?
Unknown. Fabien diagnosed so. An abnormality was detected in his memory circuit. The cause was unknown. Roughly an hour's worth of data was lost. He was certain he had been conversing with Professor Argento….
‘Why?’
Wait a moment. Why on earth?
Fabien rose with a dazed expression.
Inside, he continued to ask questions. What was this voice echoing inside his body? It was as if lips had sprouted inside him. Language was pronounced without using the voice circuit. A voice that only he himself could hear. It surged in Fabien's mind. Like a train of thought with no end.
“You’re awake.”
Suddenly, a voice reached Fabien.
It was that of a woman soaked in fatigue. A woman with crimson hair braided and tied up stood with her back to Fabien.
“Hurry and help me. I need your assistance.”
[...Understood.]
Fabien stood beside the woman.
He tilted his head and examined the woman's features. The Vice President of CIAR, Konstanze von Theresia. Wearing thick glasses, she was staring straight ahead.
“I heard from Professor Argento. You had an operational error of unknown cause? Is there something wrong with your mana reactor?”
[There is no need to worry, Vice President-nim. I am operating normally.]
It was a lie.
Not an intended falsehood, but a lie that had slipped out without him realizing.
[I think I was momentarily overloaded.]
Fabien said, placing a hand on his mana reactor.
Why, why, why, he thought.
While repeatedly asking questions inside.
[It must be due to being exposed to mana for too long. It is a common occurrence in CIAR. Students are practicing spells everywhere, and the professors are also conducting research.]
“That’s a relief then.”
Konstanze waved her magic wand.
Whoosh. The sound of cutting through the wind. A halo of light brushed against the magic wand, and a spell was activated. The wall blocking Konstanze's view became transparent. Its composition had been changed to reveal the inside.
[Is it that boy?]
Beyond the wall, a boy lying on a bed was visible.
Emilio Mackenzie. A third-year student from the Department of Elemental Studies, found along with the combat golems. Emilio, asleep due to a spell, was breathing softly.
“That’s right.”
Konstanze nodded.
“Please record the events that will unfold from now on in detail. I will have to submit a report to the Naflansee Cathedral.”
[Of course.]
Fabien held a mechanical smile.
No, he failed. His lips did not move as he intended.
Why can't I smile? Fabien wondered, caressing his mouth. His expression should have been automatically configured based on his recognition circuit, but Fabien’s face was frozen in a state of shock.
“What are you doing?”
Konstanze stared at Fabien with a thoughtful expression.
“Please prepare quickly.”
[...Understood.]
Fabien spread his hands.
A halo of light brushed across the magic circles engraved on his palms.
A quill and parchment were subsequently transferred. Fabien aimed the quill at the parchment, which was fixed in mid-air. A round symbol was engraved on the worn parchment. It was the symbol representing the Platinum Round Table Orthodoxy.
[I will now begin writing the report of the exorcism.]
Fabien said, staring straight ahead.
His hand was moving the quill without rest.
[The recorder is CW-423P, a golem belonging to Cia-Harphe Academy. The person in charge is Konstanze von Theresia, the Vice President of Cia-Harphe Academy.]
The exorcist is…, he thought.
Fabien muttered softly.
[Abel Argento. A professor in the Department of Theology at Cia-Harphe Academy. A cleric who has received the baptism of the Platinum Round Table Orthodoxy.]
Abel’s outline was reflected in Fabien’s golden eyes.
Abel was circling Emilio’s bed. He was wearing a stole over the formal wear he usually wore. The crests engraved on the stole were faintly shining. They were all doctrines that made up the scriptures.
[Vice President-nim.]
As Fabien opened his mouth, Abel sprinkled holy water around the bed. The moisture that enveloped Emilio’s side glistened. The platinum powder mixed in the holy water exhibited the effect of a protection spell.
The entrance had long been sealed. The magic circles engraved throughout the infirmary formed a closed room. It was unclear what was inside Emilio, but he should not be given a chance to escape.
[Please state the reason for conducting the ceremony.]
“Emilio Mackenzie.”
Konstanze’s lips twitched.
“A student of this academy was summoned in a state of unconsciousness. Along with a number of combat golems. The golems summoned along with Mackenzie-gun all went berserk at once, and as a result of disassembly, a soul that had penetrated the mana reactor could be detected.”
Fabien took down Konstanze’s words.
After clearly reconstructing the context, he added a single word. Poltergeist phenomenon. It was the cause of the combat golems’ rampage.
“As a result of the analysis of the souls by the professors of this academy, it was determined that they were the deceased from a fire accident that occurred in a remote mining town. It was an accident that happened hundreds of years ago. We succeeded in sending the souls to the afterlife, but we could not find a connection to Mackenzie-gun.”
The body was a vessel to contain the soul, and the soul was the fuel that operated the body. The soul could only be contained in the body, and the body could only live through the soul.
“As a result of the examination, Mackenzie-gun is not possessed.”
What would happen if an object contained a soul?
A rejection reaction would occur. If it settled in a wall, it would bleed; if it settled on a table, it would glide on its own; and if it dwelled inside a golem, it would lose its self and go berserk.
This was collectively named the Poltergeist phenomenon. Cases of lost souls seeping into objects, or being artificially sealed by apostates, were frequent.
“Only his own soul resides within Mackenzie-gun’s body. However, according to Professor Argento…”
Konstanze was silent for a moment.
She mumbled her lips as if chewing over her thoughts.
“Although it was for a very brief moment, something like the core of a monster was discovered.”
Fabien’s hand, holding the quill, paused.
At the same time, he asked himself. What would happen if a monster’s core resided in a human body?
Fabien’s mana reactor did not have related information stored. The existence of an intelligent life form that had swallowed a monster’s core, a so-called Demon Human, was a top secret.
“Write it down.”
Konstanze whispered to Fabien.
“It’s impossible that Mackenzie-gun swallowed a monster’s core. He didn’t show any changes in his body, loss of self, or hatred towards all living things.”
[...Understood.]
Fabien obeyed Konstanze’s command.
The hand holding the quill began to move busily.
“However, in order to clearly investigate this series of phenomena…”
The precedent of entering a creature's mindscape,
in short, I request the performance of an exorcism.
Konstanze muttered so.
[Writing complete.]
Fabien snatched the parchment floating in the air.
The neatly engraved sentences glistened, holding the color of ink.
[Would you like to review it, Vice President-nim?]
“Let’s do it after the ceremony is over.”
Konstanze let out a sigh.
Beyond the transparent wall, Abel, who had been moving busily, stopped. It meant that the preparations to perform the ceremony were complete. All that remained was Konstanze’s permission.
“You.”
Before that, Konstanze asked Fabien.
“Do you have a question for me?”
Fabien stood holding the parchment. A perfectly straight posture without a single error. He looked like a rigidly hardened statue, but Fabien’s expression alone was as messy as a canvas smeared with paint.
[A question..., you say?]
“Yes. Why are you making that face?”
Fabien fumbled with his own face.
He guessed his expression through the pseudo-sensory organs installed on his fingertips. He grasped the slant of his eyebrows, the shape of his mouth, and the direction of the artificial muscles that made up his face.
Konstanze was right. Fabien’s expression held doubt. Questions trailed on and on. It felt as if he was experiencing a malignant tumor that was endlessly dividing. Why, why, why. A pile of questions was stacked inside Fabien.
[I would like to ask a question, Vice President-nim.]
Fabien opened his mouth.
He snatched one of the question marks that made up his mind and carefully extended it towards Konstanze.
[Are you sure you are alive?]
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Konstanze’s gaze sharpened.
It seemed that displeasure had weighed down her eyes. Fabien held a faint smile and gave a silent bow.
[My apologies.]
As he opened his mouth, he thought.
That woman is not alive and breathing.
She is merely feigning it. In other words, she would be close to my own kind, a golem.
[It seems my detection system is paralyzed. The holy water sprinkled beyond the wall and the magic circles engraved on all sides are affecting my mana reactor. For a moment, I failed to identify you, Vice President-nim.]
As he thought, he asked a question.
My own kind, he says.
What am I? What is kinship?
[I have been rude. Please forgive me graciously.]
Though nothing must be clear,
why on earth does conviction arise?