Chapter 62: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat
Chapter 62
Inside the building of Ruthenia Corporation., two people met.
The moment I saw them, I felt a sense of déjà vu.
Even though I hadn't seen them many times, for some reason, they felt familiar.
The silver-haired elf called Sator greeted the man with a smile.
"Luke, what are you doing cutting off contact like that? You shouldn't be so cold-hearted between friends."
"Sorry about that. I've been really busy lately."
Despite calling each other friends, they didn't seem very close. While Sator greeted warmly, the man seemed indifferent.
The man asked Sator, "But Sator, didn't you dislike wandering around crowded places because of your germophobia?"
"I don't like it much, that's true. But when something piques my interest, I go check it out. I came here to contract for the rebuilding of the research lab last time, and I had a chat with Ruthenia's senior researcher. They were having trouble making a prosthetic arm for a pyrokinetic, so I helped out a bit. As you know, I have a lot of interest and knowledge in that area."
Sator adjusted his glasses with his gloved hand as he answered.
Wearing white gloves seemed like a fashion statement, but it turned out it was because of his germophobia.
"Since I gave some advice, I need to check if it works properly. They said the result was out, so I came to take a look and ran into a familiar face. What brings you here?"
"The student who needs the prosthetic arm attends the academy, so my brother asked me to ensure the surgery goes smoothly."
"Is that so?"
Sator smiled faintly at the man's response.
Through his glasses, his eyes were directed at me.
"Isn't it strange? The student who needs the prosthetic arm happens to look exactly like someone I know and is coincidentally a pyrokinetic, and it just so happens that you are the one attaching the prosthetic. It hardly seems like a coincidence."
"......."
The man's eyes wavered.
After staring at me for a while, Sator turned to the man.
"It seems like you have a lot to talk about. Can you spare a moment?"
The man looked at me and slowly nodded.
"......After the surgery."
I tried my best to ignore their conversation.
It was a discussion I didn't want to be involved in.
---
After changing clothes for the surgery and entering the operating room, Jessie was waiting with the prosthetic arm.
Seeing the prosthetic up close, I couldn't help but be impressed.
It looked incredibly sophisticated and luxurious at first glance.
I had expected something like the history teacher's prosthetic arm, but this seemed like a whole different level.
I was thinking of Inspector Gadget's robotic arm, but it felt more like Iron Man's suit suddenly appeared.
It was an artwork in the form of an arm.
Except for the unknown white material crafted in the center of the palm, the entire prosthetic was made of black metal, glistening with a metallic sheen.
As I stared, mesmerized by its elegant form under the light, Jessie smiled confidently and spoke.
"Though I prioritized durability and practicality for the combat prosthetic, I couldn't ignore the appearance. After all, you're a girl, Scarlett."
Was this really prioritizing durability and practicality?
It was such an impressive piece that even a man would be awestruck by it, so I nodded vigorously, and Jessie, satisfied, left the operating room.
Only the man and I, dressed in surgical gowns, were left in the operating room.
The man handed me a mask similar to an oxygen mask, probably for anesthesia.
"It's not a complicated surgery, so it will be over by the time you wake up."
Having never undergone surgery with general anesthesia, I was a bit scared as I put on the mask. The man smiled slightly, perhaps trying to reassure me.
"Don't worry, I know better than anyone how much you hate pain."
Though he was smiling, the man looked sad.
As I thought about the familiar face, I inhaled something, and my consciousness quickly blurred.
The man's face became blurry.
[Sorry, I'll make sure it doesn't hurt for long...]
He said that sadly as he attached my severed left arm.
I woke up feeling slightly groggy.
Without realizing it, I propped myself up with my left arm.
Noticing this, I slowly looked at my left arm.
It was now a metal arm.
Though I couldn't feel anything, it moved as I wanted.
As I wiggled my fingers out of curiosity, Jessie, who had entered the operating room, smiled as she watched.
"Are you feeling okay? First, let's get you dressed."
After changing clothes and stepping outside, Jessie was fiddling with something on the prosthetic.
As a click sounded and a small gap opened on the back of the prosthetic hand, Jessie looked at me.
"The piece you showed me before, you can fit it in here."
Following her instructions, I inserted the black piece I had brought into the gap.
After I inserted the piece, Jessie adjusted the prosthetic and closed the gap.
"I've tightened the screws inside telekinetically, so it won't fall out even if it takes a hit. As planned, the prosthetic should be able to emit flames. Let's test it, follow me."
Following Jessie, I stepped into a spacious area labeled 'training ground.'
According to her, it used to be a warehouse but had been converted by her parents for training purposes.
She mentioned they usually rented it out to other heroes for a fee, but today they hadn't taken any bookings, which made me feel a bit overwhelmed.
Is this how wealthy people live? It's nerve-wracking.
"But aren't there quite a few people?"
Soon after we entered, the man, Sator, Jessie's older brother, and a few shorter men and women entered and stood near the entrance, watching us.
Jessie laughed, "Hehe, those are my siblings who are off duty today. They came to check if what they made works properly, but if you feel uncomfortable, should I ask them to leave?"
"No, it's fine. That much is okay."
Since they were people I needed to thank, I bowed my head towards them, and they all waved back with smiles.
Having an audience made me feel unnecessarily nervous.
They said they needed to observe to ensure there were no issues, so I rolled up my sleeve and thought about igniting flames in my left arm.
At that moment, the prosthetic arm began to glow.
From the back of the hand, where I had inserted the piece earlier, flames flowed along several engraved lines up to my shoulder, emitting light.
The most noticeable part was the characters illuminated in the light, which widened my eyes in surprise.
Soon, flames burst from the glowing parts, engulfing the prosthetic arm. But before the flames fully ignited, I clearly saw the letters carved into the arm.
If I wasn’t mistaken, the glowing letters on the arm spelled "Scarlet."
How did they manage this...
Turning around in astonishment, I saw Jessie grinning slyly, having successfully surprised me.
"Did you see it? Did you? To allow flames to flow through the entire arm, we needed to carve some grooves. We thought we could make it look like letters, so we all put our heads together and made it work. It’s a success!"
Overwhelmed by the unexpected gift, I was still in awe when Jessie excitedly shouted that the real surprise was yet to come.
"The coolest part is still left! Hold out your palm towards an empty area and press the button on the inside of your wrist!"
A button?
Following Jessie's instructions, I felt around the inside of the prosthetic wrist and found a barely visible button.
Pressing the button, which required some force, suddenly extinguished the flames blazing from the prosthetic.
I could still feel the flames being emitted, but now they were being drawn somewhere else.
"Release the button and press it again to fire!"
Hearing the word "fire," I recalled my earlier request.
I had asked for a way to launch ranged attacks...
Suppressing my excitement, I released and then pressed the button again.
Suddenly, the area before me was engulfed in light.
Flames erupted fiercely from my palm, scorching the wide-open space in front of me.
Amidst the impressive display, I heard cheers from the people watching behind me.
"We made this instead of a magic cannon. How do you like it? Do you like it?"
Jessie was already grinning before I could even respond. Instead of answering, I hugged her tightly in gratitude.
A line from a game my friend liked came to mind.
"Scarlet Evande has learned Flamethrower!"
Finally, I had a new technique to use other than the Flamethrower Car!
---
Watching the flames burst from the prosthetic, Sator spoke.
"It's a Fire Absorption Stone. A magic stone that absorbs and releases flames in the desired direction. I got it for fire-related measures after the research lab burned down, and I sent a few to Ruthenia when I heard about the prosthetic."
Despite his explanation, Sator’s friend, Luke, remained silent and stared at him. Sator muttered softly.
"Don't worry, it won't harm number 10, who you treasure so much. But to think the person I trusted the most was behind it all. I never imagined it."
"......How did you know?"
"It was pure coincidence. I saw her once recently, but her hair color had changed, so I thought she was just someone similar. Then I heard about a peculiar pyrokinetic from the senior researcher. A girl who emits flames when angry. That’s when I started to piece it together. Seeing you here today confirmed my suspicions."
With trembling eyes, Luke questioned, and Sator smiled faintly.
"Still, I never imagined it wasn’t pain but anger that triggered her abilities. It should have been obvious, but I missed it. If I had known, we could have made much more progress. I think I could succeed if I tried again. But the family ordered us to abandon the plan and dispose of it."
"......Dispose of it?"
To see him so shaken.
Sator chuckled softly.
"Yeah, it’s a shame, but after the lab burned down, we were ordered to stop the project and dispose of any remaining results."
Luke bowed his head with a grave expression.
Sator, genuinely surprised by the extent of his reaction, felt slightly bewildered.
"......Sator, can’t you delay it just a little?"
"You know number 10 is Astra's property. If the higher-ups give an order, I must comply."
"Number 10. No, Scarlet is a person, not property."
He even named her.
Hearing Luke's words, Sator adjusted his glasses and looked at him keenly.
"A person, you say?"
"She’s lost all her memories from the experiment. I hear she’s living normally at the academy. Can’t you see it?"
Sator looked at number 10, who was smiling and hugging a female student.
Though she appeared to be an ordinary person, to Sator, it was laughable.
Pretending to be human didn’t change her essence.
Disgusted, Sator scratched his neck.
Unaware of his thoughts, Luke continued earnestly.
"Besides, she saved people. Over ten thousand lives. Sator, remember our initial goal? It was to save people. She achieved that. She might save even more in the future. So please, give her a little more time. Can’t you do that much?"
There was a time he had said that.
The face of Luke, looking desperate.
Sator clearly remembered how he had spoken on the day they decided to work together.
So, Sator scratched his neck.
"This is my last request as a friend, Sator."
Friend, such a nice word.
Sator also considered him a friend, yet Luke betrayed him.
Sator had deceived Luke too, so friendship must always involve mutual deceit.
Though he couldn’t overlook being deceived himself.
With a faint smile, Sator spoke.
"If you insist, I'll try to persuade the family."
Sator looked at his friend, who had deceived him.
He looked at the repulsive thing with the hidden red ring.
"As you said, we’re friends."
Astra never forgets favors or grudges.
Never.
Sator scratched his neck.
---
The Fire Absorption Stone Sator had given to Ruthenia had another spell cast on it.
A simple location tracking spell.
Early that morning, Sator loaded a large trunk into his car and drove away.
Well damn. Everything is ready to go downhill. So her guardian's name is Luke. I think it's about time he explains everything to her.
ReplyDeleteBtw: At least he didn't put a recorder in there, I'd be even madder
Thx for the chapter
ReplyDelete"Early that morning, Sator loaded a large trunk into his car and drove away."
ReplyDeletea large trunk = Scarlet
Thanks for the chapter
???
DeleteWhat a disgusting being that elf is.
ReplyDeleteFor what i see here, he pushed the original to basically explode.
So, whatever Luke did, considering the thing they supposedly wanted to do (saving people), at least in my book is correct.
A friend is not just someone that accompanies and supports you.
It's also a person that stops you when you're going too far off course, for your own sake or others.
Besides, it's true that MC's a person.
But even before that, i believe that the original was innocent.
I figure she could have been raised if treated as a human.
Anyway, i don't expect the rest to realize the tracking but...
It was written in such a way that i'm guessing stalker guy is going to find MC.
And it seems that the bug is not the lab's doing.
It must be a witch then.