Academy’s Dark Perspective - Chapter 338



Only Krnovel

Academy Dark Curtain Viewpoint Episode 338

“Then we’ll go back now~”

“okay.”

Aaron saw off Ciel, who was getting up from his seat, while still sitting.

It was an attitude that was so carefree that it couldn’t be expressed in words. At this point, I wondered if the fact that I had come to visit them was uncomfortable in itself.

But I knew that there was no malice in Aaron’s attitude.

Ciel responded with a smile and left the front door.

However, I couldn’t see where Airi had gone. As I looked around, fortunately, I heard a sobbing sound from a corner of the mansion’s garden, a place that was out of sight.

Her pure white hair was slightly swaying in the breeze. Ciel slowly approached her from behind.

“Iri~”

“… … !”

Airi hurriedly got up from her seat and wiped her eyes at Ciel’s voice.

She tried to smile as if to insist that nothing had happened, but she couldn’t hide the redness around her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. Are you going back?”

“Wouldn’t that be better too~?”

“… … .”

“Since I’m going to come here every day anyway~ It would be better to go back today without pushing yourself too hard~”

At Ciel’s bright answer, a tear falls from Airi’s eye, who was trying hard to maintain a poker face.

“Uh, sorry. Ahaha… … I’m weird today. Why am I like this, really.”

Airi tried to wipe her face with her sleeve, but Ciel stopped her. Instead, he took out a handkerchief and carefully dabbed it.

“You put on makeup to come see Aaron, but it’ll all come off.”

“It’s okay. I already rubbed it off earlier. And the chairman… … .”

Airi was silent for a moment while speaking.

Then slowly start crying again.

“I really tried not to cry today, but it wasn’t easy. I didn’t cry like that before, but lately, I’ve been crying like a fool a lot. I’ve definitely heard enough about the chairman, and I’ve come prepared, but when I actually saw him face to face, my mind went blank. I got angry for a moment, and then I started crying again… .”

“Iri… … .”

“You know, Ciel. Why did we fight?”

Airi asked with a hollow smile.

“This is such a painful victory.”

The city was half destroyed.

Many people were killed and injured.

The price for breaking free from the control of the Sky Dragon was to lose so much.

Is what we have left now really worth paying such a price for?

“Iri, that’s… … .”

“I know. The chairman fought with his life on the line because he believed it was worth it. Now, for me to question the meaning of it is to diminish the value of what he did. But… … When I see the chairman like that, I can’t help but think… … What if he hadn’t fought… … .”

It was right after the fight that I realized something was strange about Aaron.

When they finally returned to New Valhalla City after successfully defeating the Sky Dragon in the Red Hunting Grounds, they were greeted by a cityscape deeply scarred by the claws of war.

Collapsed buildings and blackened, charred corpses.

Parents who have lost their children and children who have lost their parents.

There was no way a disaster of this magnitude could have struck only their acquaintances.

Lexus Vane is a representative example.

While fighting at the closest location to the Sky Dragon, he was hit by a magical lightning bolt fired by the Sky Dragon and became paralyzed on one side of his body.

The cybernetic device that assisted the brain’s functions short-circuited inside his head, melting and attaching itself to his brain.

After a long 18-hour surgery, the stuck plastic lump was removed, but he has not yet regained consciousness. Even if he does wake up, it seems likely that he will suffer permanent aftereffects.

But his survival was nothing short of a miracle.

All other government special agents who were present at the scene died.

Kara, who had become acquainted with Aaron, was no exception.

In addition, senior adaptors within the company.

Corporate executives whose workplaces are in Sector A.

Many politicians and lawyers. Business and media people.

And even the students at the academy who have them as parents.

The magic of the Sky Dragon took lives equally, regardless of affiliation or class.

Fortunately, those at the top who quickly took notice of the situation and hid in private underground bunkers immediately after it happened, or those who were stuck in Elysium without knowing anything, were lucky enough to save their lives.

But Serena Beresford.

She was on the unlucky side.

As she hid in her home, terrified, a large fireball engulfed her, causing second-degree burns to her entire body.

Although it was technically a simple treatment, the psychological shock was so great that I am still receiving treatment.

The Trinity Academy building in Sector B was also not spared from the damage. It was penetrated by the blind bombardment magic, and as a result, a large hole was created between the 100th and 150th floors on the western side of the building.

Additionally, one of the five student bunkers was unfortunately hit by magic, killing about 30% of the professors and science students hiding there.

And then there was Evangeline at the Academy.

Although she was lucky enough to survive, she was badly injured when she was crushed by the collapsing ceiling. The problem was that she was a witch, so she couldn’t use normal surgical methods.

Although a method was found and treatment was administered belatedly, he was still in a coma, just like Lexus.

and.

Aaron’s reaction to all that news.

-is it.

That was all there was to it.

Those who heard him speak on the scene felt a strong sense of discomfort.

Because the Aaron they knew was not the kind of person who would react so calmly to the news that his people had been hurt.

At first, I thought it was because he was just tired. The fight with the Sky Dragon was such a tough process, and even Aaron couldn’t help but get tired.

I thought that he was already mentally at his limit and would not be able to react normally to outside news, so I passed it over.

But the results of a detailed examination.

There was another reason.

-Mr. Aaron’s replacement rate is over 95%.

The cerebral cortex inside the skull, except for about half of it, was completely replaced by machinery.

To put it simply, Aaron’s original body was reduced to a state similar to a cyborg with only 5% of its original structure remaining.

-Do you know the Ship of Theseus?

Ship of Theseus.

After killing the Minotaur, Theseus returned to Athens with his ship, and the Athenians decided to preserve it for many years.

When the ship’s planks rotted, they tore off the old planks and replaced them with new, stronger ones.

By repeating this process of discarding old parts and replacing them with new ones, before we knew it, there were no parts left from the original ship.

Then, the metaphysical dilemma was whether the ship could really be called the ‘Ship of Theseus’.

Miyu, Aaron’s moduler, added this explanation:

– It’s the same. You cut off the original body and continue to create a new body through modules. Mechanical arms, mechanical legs, mechanical hearts… … How much do you have to change before a person’s identity disappears? Unlike the Ship of Theseus, in the case of humans, there is an answer legally and technically. It’s 70%.

70% replacement rate.

30% of original body.

That 30% was the minimum requirement to be recognized as a human being.

Why is that?

-Numerous studies have shown that when the replacement rate exceeds 70%, abnormal symptoms begin to appear.

Of course, some people experience problems at around 65% replacement rate, and some people don’t feel any problems even when it exceeds 80%.

Perhaps because of this, there are people who don’t care about the replacement rate at all these days. After all, most of the people who adapt often can’t even reach 70%.

Anyway, since Aaron is naturally good at adapting to various modules, he’ll probably be closer to the latter, and Iri will probably be closer to the former.

The types of abnormal symptoms varied.

However, they had a few things in common, the most important being that the modules could no longer be removed.

When the module is released, the original body is restored with the help of nanomachines, but when the critical point is exceeded, the body’s restoration function stops due to an error.

There were also cases where patients experienced pain in the area replaced by the module, or were unable to move their body even though there was no mechanical problem.

– That was the case with Airi. When the replacement rate suddenly increases, the mind cannot recognize the new body parts as its own, so it cannot move.

In addition, they may suddenly become more aggressive or, on the contrary, experience severe depression. Sometimes, they may feel discomfort in their healthy body and self-harm, similar to the early symptoms of schizophrenia.

and…….

– Mr. Aaron, this is the most gentle symptom among them. It is the gradual loss of human desires, emotions, and various chemical reactions in the brain. In other words… …the loss of humanity.

Appetite, sleep, and sex drive disappear.

Joy, anger, love, and pleasure disappear.

Everything else slowly fades away.

– At first, the cybernetic devices and the parts of the brain that have been given the functions will copy and imitate the original personality. Most people around will probably not even notice anything different. But at some point, something strange will gradually become apparent. Since the brain cannot perform its original function, the module parts inside the brain cannot perfectly cover the empty space.

After hearing Miyu’s explanation, the group asked about the ‘treatment’.

Miyu’s answer was simple.

-I’ll find it somehow.

What this means is that there is currently no cure.

Still, Miyu spoke repeatedly as if making a promise.

I’ll find it somehow.

I’m going to turn it back somehow.

however…….

“… … It’s been three months since Miyu said that.”

Even though the collapsed buildings were being rebuilt, and even the deaths of loved ones were slowly fading away from the emotion of sadness, Aaron’s symptoms showed no particular improvement.

That’s why even Miyu, who had never believed in the power of magic, decided to try magic.

And that was something he asked only of Ciel, who had learned magic in a hurry for about an hour from none other than Evangeline.

“To be honest, I wonder what we can do when we can’t even do it ourselves. It would be better if we just waste our time without any purpose. But it’s painful just meeting like this every day, so if the results of enduring it and working hard turn out to be bad… … .”

“It’s okay~. Miyu-sama said it too~. Unlike other Overadapted patients, Aaron-sama’s deterioration rate is ridiculously slow~. That means his chances of being cured are much higher than other people’s~”

“Even so… … .”

“Aaron, you’re just sleeping for a little while~. I’m sure you’ll return to normal if you keep trying~. Who knows, if Aaron’s most precious Airi gives you a kiss full of love, you might wake up from your sleep like magic~?”

“Hey!! Are you kidding in this situation!?”

“I’m not joking. I’m being serious.”

“Key, Key, where does Kiss look so serious!?”

“Your face is bright red~”

“Because of whom!?”

“Hehehe.”

Ciel, who had been laughing like that, opened his mouth again with a serious expression.

“Iri~”

“……why.”

“I’m serious.”

“What, what are you serious about?”

“What can open Aaron’s eyes-”

Ciel hesitated for a moment.

He looked deeply into Iri’s eyes and said.

“-It must be Iri.”