Chapter Fifteen: Suspicions
Tengu commercial area.
It was after the uneventful meeting with a certain person he made his way there.
Across the business districts, where all sorts of businesses and stalls are lined up.
People trudged about visiting various of them.
Coffee shops, cafes, restaurants, clothing shops, and the variety of them.
It was a really lively scene.
Regardless,
Almost indifferently, a male strode across the crowds of people before taking a sharp turn to the left.
Into some sort of alleyway.
While it was dark.
Unlike a normal alleyway, the road was far from narrow
Even some of the buildings here were for commercial use.
And his destination lay just ahead.
This reminded Morgan of the first time he had come here.
When he thought about it, he'd made his plans in such a way that any unwanted "accidents" could have been avoided.
"Excuse me."
Reaching the front of a building tucked neatly between others, Morgan stopped.
Above the sliding door was a wooden sign that read [Paradise].
The sign's carvings showed various herbs and roots, giving the place the look of a traditional apothecary.
No... probably a quack.
"Honestly, he does seem like a quack."
Morgan thought, suppressing a sigh as he slid the door open and stepped inside.
The front of the store, true to its disguise, had several sets of herbs and mixtures lined up everywhere.
Even as far as plastering leaves across the wall.
"I didn't comment on this last time so as not to appear rude, but isn't this a bit excessive?"
Just as Morgan muttered under his breath,
"Hmph? So you are also part of those that believe a Medical Realizer can handle the job just fine? How disappointing."
A voice interrupted his thought.
Coming from the back door was the man, one of English native origin, working for DEM alongside Dr. Kurogami before defecting.
The latter of the two would eventually develop the Micro Realizer.
… and then, would further develop this Realizer, specifically for evolving mundane, everyday tools.
Using it to drastically improve the performance of children's toys like model cars and spinning tops.
"So, Elric-sensei believes traditional herbs can get it done because of mana?"
The gray-haired doctor blinked behind his goggles, narrowing his eyes as he folded his arms.
"You've realized, huh?"
He then shook his head slightly.
"Now, tell me, how far have you gone? Seeing you're still alive means you're still doing well. Follow me."
He didn't wait for an answer.
Turning briskly, he parted the back door's curtain, stepping through before motioning for Morgan to follow.
Morgan complied with a nod.
On the other hand, Morgan didn't entirely disagree with the doctor's views.
Herbs and mana-reactive materials did hold potential,
but so far, what he'd observed in practice didn't align perfectly with theory.
Yes, the world was saturated with mana, but very few materials could actually contain it.
Reiryoku behaved differently, like a refined derivative of the same source.
If one argued that Reiryoku was the same as mana, then he'd argue why modern wizards can't use them.
When one looks at it from that angle and flips the chessboard around, that thinking was very much solid.
After all…
So far, he hadn't seen or heard anything about a Spirit absorbing mana.
Why was that?
He didn't have a concrete evidence yet, but he believed in his theory.
"What you got in your mind?"
Dr. Elric's voice broke through his reverie.
Morgan blinked, realizing they had entered a small elevator hidden behind the curtain.
Dr. Elric adjusted his goggles, glancing sideways at him with mild curiosity as the elevator doors slid shut.
"...I was thinking, and have been trying to hold mana within myself."
Dr. Elric froze.
For a moment, his expression went blank, then stiffened, as he muttered under his breath.
"...you're trying to kill yourself, huh?"
"Eh?"
Tsss-
A soft hiss broke the silence as the elevator doors clicked open.
They stepped out into the very room where it had all started.
Dr. Elric entered first, heading for the wall and flipping a switch.
It was different from before.
A bright overhead light shone from above, illuminating the dim space, giving a better view.
Everything was made out of metallic plating.
A cabinet ran across the corners of the room, and in one spot stood a table and chair.
In the middle was still that same bed which Morgan approached, brushing his fingers against the fabrics.
Then, he looked around.
From chemistry tools like glass tubes or the like to surgical tools to several materials encased inside one.
Finally, his attention returned to the man sitting down behind the single table.
"What do you mean by 'trying to kill myself'?"
Elric didn't answer right away. Instead, he leaned back into the chair and opened the desk drawer.
He slid something out of it.
It looked like an earpiece, large enough to cover one ear completely.
And when he looked at it closely.
'Wait, that looks familiar.'
… why yes.
The device looked almost identical to the Augma: that one neural interface from 'Ordinal Scale'.
'It's not impossible.'
Morgan eventually relented with a sigh.
"Ah yes. That one I gave you was only a prototype. This is the real thing, my child."
The old man's grin made Morgan raise an eyebrow.
He could already tell why.
Of course, it made sense that his was a prototype. Innovation always moved toward convenience.
From those old computers to PCs, then to mobile phones.
His device was too eye-catching due to how clunky it looked.
"Still, I thank you for that device, it's really helpful. But that aside, you haven't answered."
Dr. Elric sighed softly, rubbing his temple before slipping the compact device around his ear.
"See, child, this world and how it operates is a mystery. Seeing as you know so much, you must also be aware, right?"
Right.
He was trying to find an answer to a question that was technically almost impossible to solve.
Like the Scientist said, how the world operates is a mystery.
Morgan was aware of this, more than anyone.
"…So the cultivation method wouldn't work, huh?"
"Cultivation?"
Dr. Elric blinked.
"No, it's nothing. That aside..."
Morgan shook his head, and in the next moment, he deployed his territory.
Not to inherently use it, but to show something.
And as he did, "I can see the world's mana, but I can't interact with it."
Elric froze, his expression draining of color as faint motes of greenish-yellow light began to swirl around Morgan.
"…Good lord…"
He could see it.
The world's mana.
Visible, not through some machinery or the likes. He was already aware; mana was everywhere.
To put it into perspective, they were light particles, particles invisible to the naked eye.
Still, they are there.
Originally, Elric had wondered how Morgan hadn't fried his brain at some point.
Even some wizards, after receiving the surgery, could not do this type of thing.
...well, except the most powerful wizard.
No, she hadn't done something quite like this.
"The most powerful wizard, no magus, those people could interfere with the world's mana."
Elric muttered, as he tapped his thjgh rhythmically.
"In retrospect, Realizer works that way too. According to the database..."
Then, rubbing his chin, the man ranted on and on.
While what he was saying seemed distant, Morgan understood everything he said.
"Yes, I have come to the conclusion that interaction with mana is only possible by actively manipulating the world's mana from the outside?"
Like causing the mana in the air to bring out fire, rather than using one's own energy.
Fraxinus Territory runs the same by absorbing Mana from the surrounding and actively recycling it.
Rather than trying to hold it.
Dr. Elric snapped his fingers at Morgan.
"You get it, child! Even if we go by the logic of fantasy worlds, that's undisputedly weak, is it not?"
"True, so that was why Realizers were developed: to expand the scale using an omnipotent domain."
… The two of them looked at each other for a moment before their lips curled into a grin.
Both were like mad scientists trying to answer the world's question.
Morgan finally came to a realization as they spoke. '...So, that's what this is about.'
"I see."
Elric murmured, folding his arms.
"Then this makes investing in you worth it."
Morgan blinked, his focus snapping back to the present.
When he looked up, he found the old man narrowing his eyes in deep contemplation.
"Perhaps, you might give an answer to these questions of yours, and I'll be looking forward to your answers."
Morgan frowned slightly.
The old man was suddenly spouting cryptic nonsense again.
One thing he understood was that the man was willing to support him.
"Aaah, don't expect anything fancy like suits or weapons, though. That's way above what I can provide."
With a wry smile, Elric exhaled, waving a dismissive hand.
Morgan's expression deflated hearing that.
So much for his anticipation.
"I might consider this if you fulfil my request though."
Dr. Elric Notes.
About Subject Morgan Sinclair
[First Person Perspective — Dr. Elric]
Let's see…
I was shocked when I first received that message from an unknown sender.
Honestly, I thought I had erased every trace and could safely hide here.
Even though I had the chance to work with those people at Asgard Electronics, this time I decided otherwise.
When I thought about it, I decided it was better to stay far away from that line of work, due to…
Let's just say, the tragedy I have caused with these hands.
I've seen enough in this field.
Too much, in fact.
So, it came as a surprise when a crazy young boy asked me to perform the surgery.
What shocked me even more was that he somehow had access to confidential data.
Information no ordinary civilian should ever know.
Somehow… somehow, he knew everything.
Naturally, I refused at first. But that was my mistake. I couldn't believe it:
I was being threatened.
He was threatening me to help him kill himself? … yes, his enthusiasm made no sense. So I agreed.
Either way, the chances of survival were slim. Even if successful, it wouldn't be worth anything.
And that day, we met.
We finally met, he looked ordinary, just a high schooler with nothing particularly impressive about him.
… At that point, I genuinely thought, if he wanted it that badly, he'd do it.
Whatever he wanted.
Yet, surprisingly, miraculously, he survived the experiment.
The spinal procedure was far more dangerous than any brain operation.
It required connecting the Realizer directly to the nerves along the spine.
Even the slightest misstep, the smallest injury at the base of the skull, could cause permanent damage.
Despite knowing the cons outweighed the pros, he went along with it.
And he survived.
Could it be that his will to live or his thirst for power made him overcome that slim chance?
The fact that the spinal surgery, being a more dangerous risk than the brain surgery, should say a lot.
… till now, I don't know whether to call it brilliance, madness, or a mixture of both.
When I initially saw the readings and the neural conductivity, alongside the sheer stability of his Realizer link,
I couldn't believe it. It shouldn't have been possible.
There was no way the human brain could withstand that level of integration without collapsing into neural shock.
This was an old unit, you know?
And that was why I asked for 'that'.
With the data he provides, it would determine whether or not my suspicion about Morgan Sinclair is right.