Lobelia instantly lost the color on her face. Spirito seemed prepared for it, but could not help but cast down her eyes.
“I did not request that. That is wrong.”
Whispered Ace as she shook her head widely. At the same time, her magic stone blinked slightly, as the magic energy inside it reacted to her shock.
And suffice to say, Qualia was at a loss for words.
He learned Ina’s condition, so he knew this was a possibility. He calculated it. But something in him rejected it.
He did not want to cast a light on that future, so he rejected it.
But once the doctor declared that possibility, his vision turned dark. A tomorrow with Ina might never come.
Even if an artificial intelligence could deal with that change in environment, Qualia could not live with it.
“…Analyzing, situation…”
He was always calculating the optimal solution. He had learned Ina’s condition more than enough.
Qualia just had to use the calculation power of Shutdown to calculate the optimal solution for Ina to wake up.
“…Optimal solution, optimal solution… [N/A].”
But no matter how much he calculated, the optimal solution never came.
Ina was not regaining consciousness due to the damage the anaphylactic shock did to her brain. Her immune system was no longer going berserk, so if he repaired her brain with matter created by his 5D printer, she might wake up.
But if he did so, Ina’s body might label it a foreign substance again, causing her immune system to go haywire again and cause another anaphylactic shock. And judging by Ina’s condition, she would certainly die.
If he tried to repair her brain, her immune system would kill her before it was done.
It was a dilemma an artificial intelligence could not unravel.
And suddenly, Qualia spoke.
“R-request explanation… Where is Ina’s backup?”
“Backup?”
“Calculating, optimal solution… If Ina is recovered through a backup, she will be restored to her original state.”
“What is a backup?”
That was a concept that did not exist in that world. Even the magic doll was hearing it for the first time.
“A technique where the contents of a subject are replicated and stored in a different storage device in case there is damage that cannot be repaired… If Ina’s information is restored from that backup…”
“Qualia!”
Lobelia yelled loudly, as Spirito grabbed his arms and shook him.
There was no composure in his expression. It was stiff, as if it had been taken over by a vengeful spirit.
“You can’t do that backup thing with people… People only have one life…”
“…[N/A]… [N/A]…”
No one could make out his mumbling, as Qualia crumbled to the floor.
The doctor then tapped the shoulder of the completely silent Qualia.
“…You can’t abandon hope.”
He said that not as a doctor, but as a person.
“I expressed myself poorly. The fact that she might not wake up also means she might wake up.”
The doctor looked around. At Lobelia, Spirito, and Ace.
And then he declared strongly, as if to convince everyone present.
“Listen, you can’t abandon hope.”
■ ■
“What happened to my Zero Division that went out to kill Qualia?”
“They were all killed. And while it sounds pitiful, by one person, Anonymous. That means they might pinpoint Troy from their corpses.”
“At this rate, the Zero Division that has supported Troy for generations won’t escape embarrassment.”
“Mister Woodhorse is quite panicked.”
“I don’t care about Woodhorse. We like blood, love meat, and take joy in even embracing the bones. Not taking lives is like not breathing. Zero Division chews on slaughter.”
…Under the moonlight, a little far from Lobelia’s mansion, several black outfits fluttered.
The black cloths on everyone’s mouths made it possible to see their expressions. And yet, the irritation was visible in their exposed eyes, as they glared at Lobelia’s mansion from the top of a building.
The commander of Zero Division, Rocky, stood in front of the rest, looking down at the world with his arms crossed.
“Zero Division always stood on equal grounds to Troy. We never saw ourselves as beneath them. Damn you Woodhorse. I’m getting sick of that misunderstanding attitude of his…”
Everyone nodded at the same time.
“Then let us complete our other mission of assassinating Princess Lobelia, and restore our worth.”
“But I’m trembling with excitement at the idea of taking down a princess…”
“She’s just the child of a prostitute. But still, killing a princess is something that has never happened in the history of Zero Division. But that is why we will take the achievement of taking down a princess, turn around and control Troy, and show who shakes the Kingdom of Acacia.”
Everyone smiled daringly under their masks.
“Everyone take your positions. Let the strongest group of assassins show those little girls how to abandon hope.”
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