Then, casually… I walked away from the scene.
I still brought the cloth with me, so that shouldn't be a problem.
Speaking of which, something about this inspection felt too familiar.
Like something terrible had happened before.
Like she... I'd felt this moment once already.
Déjà vu?
However—
"Professor! Miss Lewynne! She…"
A door that had been shut was suddenly forced open like that.
It was a woman wearing a lab suit, hastily running as if her life depended on it.
Professor Aristarchus, meanwhile—and absolutely—asked that stupidly obvious question.
"What happened to her?"
She could only take an uncontrolled breath before saying those cliché, predictable words.
"Professor...
she was found unconscious!"
Heh. Unconscious, she said.
Everyone stared at her.
Nobody believed this would happen.
"No way! We were just talking—"
"Professor." I cut the conversation midway. Cold, calm, and deliberate.
He then shifted his focus to the pair of sharp eyes I possessed.
"Bring her here. I would like to have some words."
A sound of ambiguity and confusion echoed throughout the room.
A room that was supposed to witness my 'inspection' process had completely changed its tension.
"B-but—"
"Just do it."
I then looked at the others. No—to be precise, I spoke to these cowardly professors, standing awkwardly in front of me.
"Everyone! Listen to what I'm about to say."
One by one, they looked at me.
I grinned.
Exactly what I need.
In an instant, that charm worked magnetically.
No, beautifully.
Wait, what did just happen?
For a moment, the room felt so off.
Aristarchus blinked slower than he should have.
The others… didn't blink at all.
Well... just kidding.
I guess the override holds the candle.
They technically were now possessed souls ready to heed my words.
Guess I won't have enough time, but maybe this is it.
Now, everything was under mt control.
However, they hesitated.
Only for a moment though.
Later on, these professors… they obeyed.
Moved almost mechanically, as if each of them had forgotten the others existed.
So, what actually happened... if you ask me.
Simple. I imbued magic into them.
So charming and elegant, right?
I know right...
I am.
Oh, still confused about the whole chronology? I will explain it later.
No time for that. Right now, my mission was to make sure that Elisa was safe.
✦ ✧ ✦
"You are truly insane."
Elisa Arlenne Lewynne was currently in front of me.
Naked. Tied up.
More than helpless to do anything.
At this point, she was beyond saving.
Well, well, well. That didn't matter.
Either way, these professors were under my control.
Why? Simply put, as they were under my charm. Dolls I could control for the sake of cheap entertainment.
Wasn't that too hard to digest, stupid humans?
I straightened my chest. My clothes might be gone, but not for my pride and dignity.
After all, my clothes never define me.
"You sick fuck! Let me go or I—"
"Or what? What is it? Tell me your threat, Eli, my dear."
She scoffed and then looked at me.
"You already know everything."
"Don't you, Mirielle?"
One of my eyes closed as I prepared a condescending tone for the love of the game.
"You know what? Honestly, should have asked you more about Haniel and Daniel! But oh, damn. Very well…"
Those divine names surfaced in my head again.
I still didn't know nor understand why.
"You made that fake call, didn't you? How impressive, as if I never noticed."
Hearing that, she smiled.
Quite uncanny, considering her stone cold personality.
"Yeah… sure. And then what? Do you think I can give away information that easily?"
That smirk.
That damn smirk.
I looked away.
My face was definitely all red after hearing that.
I mean, her expression when she said those words was… cool. Don't get me wrong, okay?
I just admired her lowkey. That's it.
But still, I needed to get my priorities straight, even when my preferences were not.
Maybe being gay was never a choice, but fate.
"I will let these professors go and continue whatever crazy procedure they plan to do to me."
"But only if you tell me everything. Even by force. But hey, why don't we have some fun?"
I kissed her lips just like that.
It was brief, cold, and callous.
"So dry. Was that even your best attempt? I remember you being hot enough to melt me."
Fuck, she mocked me.
She just mocked me!
That insult was bitter enough to make me puke but…
Either way, I had to be cautious.
Among all these professors, only one of them held powerful mana.
Professor Aristarchus.
And yes, other than him, none of these 'professors' held anything like that.
So I couldn't just let down my guard, pretending everything was going to be fine.
Anyway… I plugged in the wired cables the way my parents taught me.
Funny how this institution believed they were the only ones who understood their own machine. Almost ironic and quite disappointing, you could say.
Those cables were then fully connected to Elisa's body through an automatic procedure done by just clicking a button. Just like that, from head to toe, she was connected to the engine—the one that started this whole thing about the pseudoscience of magic and soul.
The Personal Reality Engine.
A quantum monstrosity designed to generate the so-called Emanator Field—the institution's pride. The heart of their ambitious attempt at turning the soul into measurable data lies here.
"Do you know what these are, right?"
I asked her, to make sure she knew what was going on.
"Haptic sensory devices…
impossible."
Did you just say that after all of this?
I couldn't care less. I would just start—
"Or…"
Her grin grew wider. A terrifying sight to see.
That was the very moment I realized—
I got cooked.
"Maybe not."
"What do you mean?"
That wide smile turned into a ridiculous chuckle.
"Oh Mirielle, my beloved lovely dear Mirielle… you're always like this. Maybe understanding your enemy just naturally becomes your weakness so much so you underestimate them as much?"
I froze all of a sudden.
I didn't understand—
What the fuck?
She did something that was... wrong.
And for once again, everything happened so fast. My body just fell to the floor.
"You… bastard."
I muttered, cursed her.