Chapter 35.2 – The Genius’ Determination

 

[Phillka’s PoV]

 

Sage Asklasua was in front of us, on the other side of the bars that were locking us inside this cell… Where did he come from? And why can I see him so clearly in such a dark cave?

Also, he seems to have known Kajero for quite some time now, but Kajero has shown nothing but hostility since the sage appeared… What’s happening here?

“Is your father well?” The sage asked me.

“Yes, I suppose…” I answered.

This is all too confusing. Why has the sage realized that Kajero is inside me right now? And why is he here? Shouldn’t the only ones in this place be part of the kidnapping group?

“Oh, you’re definitely right about that.” The sage suddenly said, as if he read my mind, “However, this organization is crumbling already, so I might as well get you out of there. It should be easy for you to incapacitate everyone here and capture High Priest Rofen.

“That said… Kajero, I don’t like the way you’re staring at me. People are talking right now, so stay out of it, alright?”

As soon as the sage said that, his blue eyes became gold-colored, and then… The existence of Kajero inside me started fading.

“Don’t worry, I just made him quiet for a while. I have no intention of harming you.

“You see, Altirea Wisp isn’t that fun anymore. The interesting part of her existence was lost, and as such, there isn’t much point in continuing this play.

“My current servant suffered a miserable defeat at her hands as well, so I figured I’d actually give you a bit of a gift, as a compensation for all the trouble that you went through due to his incapabilities.” As the sage said that, he held one of my hands.

Then, a cold sensation rose from my arm to my brain, and a weird feeling took over me. Numerous alchemic formulas went through my mind one after the other… No way, this can’t be…

“It’s the blueprint for the creation of artificial life.” The sage confirmed my fears, “You were originally supposed to discover it ten years from now, but I thought it would make for a good apology item. I’d like you to use this as a stepping stone to move forward.”

He had quite the satisfied smile on his face as he said those words… I really wanted to punch him right now. What’s up with ‘I’d like you to use it’!? He forced this damned ‘gift’ on me! This is just depriving me of future fun!

People like me don’t care for the result! The important part is the process! The ideas that are born during the research! The discoveries made while trying to make that which others believe to be impossible! That is the joy of life! Skipping this entire process to just get the result is absolutely pointless!

And yet, this damned sage just robbed me of all that. And without even paying any attention to what I was feeling right now, he continued his speech, “You see, let me pick up on the cue of the King of Evil Spirits, and try offering you some guidance too.”

His mouth twisted into a distorted smile, like the crawling of a snake… There was something terrifying on his expression.

Still ignoring me though, the sage continued, “I peeked a bit into your heart and saw your wish, but… why would you want to be her doll? If what you wanted was a family, bonds, or affection, all of those could simply be attained by marriage… And yet, you chose to be a doll instead, why?

“You don’t need to answer it though, I know it. You are a smart man after all, so I’m sure you’re aware of why your wish is such… It’s because Altirea Wisp, in exchange for becoming the ‘Doll Princess’, has relinquished romance from her life.

“The words ‘I wish to marry you’ will never receive a positive answer… And so, ‘I want to be your doll’ seems like a much more attractive proposition.

“And so, as part of my ‘apology item’, let me give you a prophecy.

“Your love will end in disappointment. The despair from the rejection will lead you towards new desires, to dark distorted emotions.

“But worry not, the blueprint will save you at that moment. With the capability of creating artificial life, you may create a new Altirea Wisp. One without the powers of the Doll Princess, one that can know love, one that can be your ideal wife while also having the same noble soul that Altirea has.” The sage ended his speech with those words.

… What do I call this emotion? Anger? Rage? Those don’t feel like they’re enough… I want to completely deny this existence that is in front of me. I want to crush him, to make him disappear so thoroughly that it will be as if he was never a thing in the first place.

I am quite simply, disgusted by the fact that we’re both living at the same time, and it is unbearable to breathe the same air as this man does.

“How absurd can your words get, Asklasua? My love will end in disappointment? I should make my own ideal woman? Preposterous!

“If romance is not a word in Altirea’s vocabulary, then I just need to teach its meaning to her! Isn’t it an exciting challenge? To make her feel the very love that she relinquished? To create something inside her that didn’t even exist before!?

“It’s laughable that you think I’d instead run away and create my own ideal woman! What kind of genius would I be, if I can’t even deal with one broken heart!?

“I appreciate the advice that you gave me eight years ago, but today marks the end of our relationship. Don’t ever contact me again, for I cannot guarantee your safety if you come near me once more.” I told that disgusting sage.

However, Asklasua just shrugged his shoulders at my words, “You may bark as much as you want, but you already have the blueprints. You may pretend to be strong, but once you’re cornered, once the despair consumes you, I’m sure you’ll just run to the salvation that I offered you… Please do your best to entertain me in this meanwhile though.”

This time, it was my turn to give him a ridiculing smile, “You’re right. People’s hearts are weak. Even if I wish to refuse it now, I may turn back towards it in my times of need.

“Therefore, I’ll erase it. I will discard those blueprints in order to regain my enjoyment in life!” I exclaimed.

“Oh? And how will you do that? The blueprints have already been carved into your brain. It’s not something you can easily forget.” The sage asked me.

“Don’t underestimate humans, you fool.” As I said this, I put one of my hands on my head, “Did you forget that I’m a genius? I’ve already finished analyzing the blueprint that you gave me.

“And with this knowledge, I got the necessary understanding of the human brain. The knowledge that allows me to do something far more meaningful than creating my ‘perfect woman’.

“With this, I can alter my own memories.”

I activated the alchemy with my arms… If this fails, I might become a husk of a human being… But what is there to fear? This is the time of my life, let’s enjoy it!

Target: My brain

Objective: Erasure of the blueprint.

Start process in 3… 2… 1… 0!

… It worked. I’m sure it did. I may have also accidentally erased some other memories in the process, but that much is irrelevant. I’m satisfied with this result.

“There, now I can no longer remember your damned blueprint.” I told that annoying sage, “And don’t bother trying adding it again, I already created barriers to stop that.”

“Oh? Interesting, let’s try that out then.” As Asklasua said that, he held my hand tightly, and the cold sensation once more start going up my arm.

However, it was dissipated about halfway towards my head, “Indeed, you weren’t bluffing. You’re quite impressive.” The sage said.

… I doubted my eyes for a second. Right now, Asklasua was nodding with a genuine smile on his face. It was quite different from the expression he usually showed.

“Let me properly apologize to you then, Phillka Louivas. You have all the reason to be proud of yourself.

“You have won against me, who pretended to be giving you a gift, and overcame the ‘poison’ that I put in your mind.

“Then, as you requested, I’ll be leaving you. We won’t meet again.” As the sage said that, I held his hand tightly.

“What are you talking about? As if I’d let someone as dangerous as you escape!” I exclaimed.

This really was a great opportunity, there was no way I’d miss this.

I once more activated alchemy, with the targets being Asklasua and… the ground! You will fuse, and never leave this place!