Chapter 203
The Shoggoths suppressed their instincts under the hypnotic music filled with magical power and returned to being harmless masses.
The Elder Things came to collect him, who had been with the flower at the very bottom of the city, while settling the situation.
Since the bleeding from his palm wouldn't stop and internal bleeding from the fall continued, his consciousness repeatedly connected and disconnected intermittently.
They put him, flickering in and out like that, into something like a translucent, squishy pod.
This was the part he could barely remember,
And when he regained his senses and woke up again, young Yurik was lying face down on the pod.
"Why are you here?"
At the sound of his voice, Yurik raised his head, and his eyes were swollen.
No other injuries were visible. Fortunately, it seemed there had been no Shoggoths other than the one they had encountered.
But his face was really pitifully swollen. He touched the child's cheek but immediately withdrew his hand when he received a resentful look. What had happened?
[Yu Yesung.]
"Ah..."
An Elder Thing entered, writhing its long tentacles.
He pointed to the pod he was in and asked.
"What is this?"
[Answer, device used by our species to recover from fatigue. Effect on other species, unconfirmed. However, emotional expression. Joy. Yu Yesung. Successful recovery.]
For the Elder Things, it was similar to a simple massage chair for relieving fatigue, but it seemed to have had a greater effect on him.
Now his physical condition had improved considerably, and much of the pain he had felt just before fainting had disappeared.
As he rolled his stiff shoulders, the Elder Thing remained silent for a moment before adding.
[Emotional expression, joy. Successful operation of hypnosis device. All slave species have returned to their places. Yu Yesung, this individual's assistance was greatly effective. Thanks on behalf of our species.]
"No. What's there to thank for such a thing?"
[Yu Yesung's owned slave species. Found at garden outskirts and transported. Satisfaction?]
Yurik seemed to have fled all the way to the edge of the garden surrounding the city.
It was surprising that he had gotten there in such a short time, but it was even more amazing that he hadn't escaped completely after getting there.
Before meeting him, Yurik had definitely seemed to want to get away from this city and the Elder Things.
Had he now judged that he had no choice but to live with the Elder Things?
"I had given the order to run away first. Thank you for bringing him back safely."
[Understanding. Mutual acceptance. Emotional expression, relief. Additional request.]
"What request?"
[Need to hear about route of encountering slave species.]
"Nothing much happened. We were observing plants in the garden when one of the individuals was coming toward us. At first, I thought it was just following your orders to collect garden plants or fruits."
The reason he had been at ease until just before the Shoggoth charged at him and Yurik was because the Elder Things actually made the Shoggoths do many miscellaneous tasks.
Not only heavy labor like building structures or laying roads,
But also collecting leaves to observe the ecology of genetically modified plants,
Capturing individuals to combine existing plants or animals,
And even picking up stones on garden paths.
In short, the Elder Things used Shoggoths to handle all tasks other than research.
So even when a Shoggoth suddenly appeared before his eyes, it was more natural to think 'it must be the Elder Things' orders.'
"But suddenly it attacked us. I told this child to run away first, and I conversely returned to the city, met one of you, and received instructions on how to operate the hypnosis device. That's the end."
[Explanation confirmed. Great help in resolving the situation. Emotional expression, gratitude. Request for additional discussion.]
"Additional discussion?"
[Request private discussion between two. Yu Yesung's agreement needed. Inquiry whether you prefer to arrange separate place and time.]
Did this mean Yurik couldn't be present?
When he looked at Yurik, Yurik turned his head sharply away.
Then he left the room entirely.
It seemed there had been some situation that would make Yurik angry with him, but since he had been unconscious the whole time, he couldn't properly guess what the reason was.
The Elder Thing spoke to him as he watched where the child had disappeared.
[Yu Yesung, emotional expression regret to this individual. Request prompt return of that tool individual.]
By 'that tool individual,' did it mean Yurik?
Why?
"What's the reason? That individual is already my possession. So you should know it would be difficult to return him."
[During this individual's recovery period, our species continued serious consideration. Cases exist of tool species escaping control. However, recent large-scale incident has no past precedent.]
"But that was because the hypnosis device was turned off. If we just pay attention to that from now on..."
[Destruction of hypnosis device power source. Presumed to be rebellion by some tool individuals.]
"Rebellion?"
[Tool individuals not given prior orders, returned to storage. However, some among them, moved to deepest part of city. Voluntary destruction of hypnosis device power source.]
Something was strange.
Originally, the Shoggoths were programmed with hypnotic mechanisms to unconditionally wait for other orders in specific locations if there were no separate commands.
But this meant some Shoggoths had escaped from such mechanisms and gone all the way down there, avoiding the Elder Things' eyes.
"But surely the hypnosis was still working until then. Since it was before the magic crystal broke. How did they escape?"
[Cannot confirm.]
"You can't identify the individual that broke the crystal? That's impossible."
[Agreement. Multiple attempts at individual identification, but failure.]
His spine suddenly turned cold.
He too understood well the process of Shoggoths evolving in real-time, having seen it before his eyes.
But what the Elder Thing was now implying was.
"...Among the tool individuals, there are some who already committed perfect crimes while having resistance to hypnosis?"
Shoggoths that had caught up to considerable human intelligence.
Had secretly mixed into groups that hadn't.
In the current situation, neither the Elder Things nor he had any way to find highly intelligent Shoggoth individuals.
They couldn't even confirm whether there was resistance to hypnosis or not. Not only would it take enormous time to carefully inspect each Shoggoth filling the city,
But if they were intelligent enough to destroy the hypnosis device's magic crystal, there was a possibility they could escape in some way.
The Elder Thing nodded grimly.
[In situation where individual identification impossible, result of our species' discussion. Promoting comprehensive extermination of tool species.]
"Since you don't know which individual is in what state, you're just going to eliminate them all?"
[This planet's tool species, comprehensive collection in progress. Yu Yesung, request collection of this individual's gift. Plan to gift more advanced individual afterward.]
"No. That's impossible. That child isn't a tool species. No matter what you give me, I can't just hand him over to you."
[Confirmation of attachment relationship formation between Yu Yesung and said tool individual. Advice. Said tool individual is defective product created by our species. Appearance similarity with Yu Yesung, coincidence of slim possibility.]
"No. That's not it."
[Defective product, serious deficiency detected in sensitivity and other areas. Recommend discontinuing attachment relationship formation with said individual.]
"It's not something you can say so easily."
[Tool individuals, comprehensive extermination in progress. Request Yu Yesung's cooperation. Additional discussion planned afterward. Emotional expression, concern. Please take rest.]
The Elder Thing folded its wings and left the room while making quiet whistling sounds.
Yurik, who had been pacing around watching from behind the wall, ran in as soon as the Elder Thing disappeared.
Whether what he had shouted at the Elder Thing had been heard, the young face showed no signs of anger, only earnestly watching his mood.
To hand over Yurik like this?
Of course, Yurik would eventually grow into the final villain someday.
Even while understanding that this young Yurik and that adult Yurik were separate humans,
He found himself thinking about the role of 'villain' that had been forcibly assigned to him.
Right.
When he thought about it, maybe making a decision now while Yurik was here was the right thing to do.
As he looked at Yurik without reaching a conclusion, Yurik slowly came near the pod he was in and asked.
"Are you angry?"
"No. I'm not angry at all."
What had he done to be angry with him?
Yurik seemed slightly relieved and began to whine.
"I didn't like that Yesung slept for so long."
"I must have really slept a lot."
"I kept calling but you wouldn't wake up, so I didn't like it. So I stayed next to you the whole time but you wouldn't open your eyes, so I didn't like it. You didn't seem to be breathing either, so I liked it even less."
"How many things you didn't like."
"I really didn't like that Yesung might not wake up. ...Are you angry?"
"No. I'm not angry right now."
He was confused right now.
He remembered Verde. Verde had grabbed his hand and almost pleaded with him.
To pity others. That not everyone was like him.
At that time, he had understood that Verde was pointing out that not everyone was as bold and proactive as him.
But only at this moment did he realize.
Not everyone was as indifferent to death as he was.
This world was a world that ended and restarted with his death.
So he had cheaply consumed his death.
As payment for failed stories, as a ticket to see the proper ending, and eventually threw it away carelessly when tired from fatigue.
Death was goods for him and the story, and he possessed a never-drying golden spring.
His life that, separate from pain, was never consumed and returned infinitely.
But ironically, Yurik was now telling him.
That he didn't like the thought of him not waking up.
That he didn't like him dying.
If a young child he hadn't known for long said such things,
What thoughts had Leandros, who had watched him die during past regressions, harbored?
"Yesung?"
Yurik called him.
He came out of the pod filled with unknown liquid and stood with his feet on the ground.
The broken bones had long since healed. Though his heart throbbed, it wasn't to the point where he couldn't walk.
"Do you remember the moment we first met?"
"Yes."
"Where were you going then?"
"......"
"I won't tell those aliens. Just, tell me where you were trying to go. Just tell me what was in the place you were trying to reach."
Unhideable confusion, bewilderment, doubt, and worry crossed young Yurik's face.
He knelt on one knee in front of Yurik.
Just like when the Elder Things had handed Yurik over as his possession.
Yurik asked anxiously.
"Are you angry? Because I... was trying to go?"
"I'm not angry. I know what you were thinking when you tried to escape from here. So,"
When he held the small hand, it all fit in one hand.
Yes, this was surely the right choice.
No matter what happened to the future, he should look at the present rather than uncertain possibilities.
"Let's leave here together."
He made his decision.
Not the future villain, but to save the small, powerless child before his eyes who feared another's death.
A few days later, he and Yurik secretly escaped the giant city, taking advantage of the sunset when the Elder Things were resting.