Bloodlust emanated from Seren. For a long time, she had been investigating the White House in order to eliminate this cursed ability of hers. Finally, she found Cromwell and was able to capture him alive. All for the sake of living like a human being.
But he doesn't know how to solve it? From Seren's perspective, it felt like magma was boiling over in her chest.
"Are you kidding me right now?"
Seren muttered as if she would devour him and brought an awl to Cromwell's throat. The sharp tip of the awl pierced into his skin. A stream of blood flowed down his throat.
Cromwell's expression remained the same. Even though it was a moment when he might die if she applied just a little more force and pierced his throat, he looked peaceful.
"If you're thinking of mocking me with lies..."
"It's not a lie."
Cromwell answered immediately.
"If it were a power that could be erased or controlled from the beginning, there would have been other similar test subjects besides you. Serendipity. Don't you know it too? That you're the only person who possesses that ability."
"Even if we tried to remove that ability, we can't tear away a power that's already been imprinted deep within your body. Over the long years, you've become one with that ability. It's impossible to get rid of it, and if we tried, you would die. It would essentially be like cutting out and exposing your heart while you're still alive."
Perhaps there might have been a way to control it in the early stages. At Cromwell's additional remark, Seren's body staggered.
"It's a meaningless assumption. Even if that were the case, it might not have changed anything. Above all, didn't you yourself hate it the most?"
"Is there really no way?"
Osian asked.
"What I bestowed upon Serendipity was inspiration received from dimensional rifts that appeared at the time. Dimensional experiments conducted in areas that disappeared through baptism by fire, extraterrestrial beings that burst through those cracks. Although the site was completely burned down and disappeared at the time, traces remained. I created test subjects using the experimental data from that time."
Outer beings come through dimensional gaps. So Cromwell came up with one hypothesis. If rifts or traces appear in dimensions, wouldn't it be possible to close open rifts again if one knew how to control them?
Osian's eyes lit up at those words. The dimensional sealing hypothesis that Cromwell spoke of was similar to the stellar veil worn by the Ascended.
Even if he had researched ancient beings, he wouldn't have known about the stellar veil. Yet the fact that he had thought this far meant that Cromwell's talent was outstanding. An individual had deduced a process that was built upon the accumulated experience and wisdom of ancestors.
'In addition to that, he tried to grant such dimensional power to humans and block the rifts.'
Osian gazed at Seren. She was the sole survivor of the experiments at that time. In a way, she could be called a success.
'But the power she cannot control is eating away at her.'
Seren had said that if she didn't concentrate, she would be drawn to dimensional gaps. That attraction was getting stronger over time. This was why Seren was becoming more impatient and anxious.
Cromwell's explanation continued.
"She was the sole survivor, but also an escapee. With the ability to traverse dimensions, we couldn't keep her confined with the laboratory's facilities."
"She was trying to escape from suffering through inhumane experiments!"
"Most of the pain you felt came from the dimensional power not agreeing well with your body, appearing during the tuning process. Did you think we would want to carelessly treat the success that barely appeared?"
"Shut up. In the end, you're nothing more than a psychopath who dragged innocent people and forcibly conducted human experiments on them. Look at what you've done. You casually modified people and used them as your hands and feet."
"Depending on one's perspective, it might look that way. I won't bother making excuses for that part."
Seren's eyebrows furrowed. Did he want to maintain his pride even in a moment like this? At that moment, a presence was felt from beyond the passage. When they looked to see who it was, it was the modified humans that Cromwell had been using.
The heavily armed modified humans hardened their expressions upon seeing Cromwell held hostage, then readjusted their weapons.
"Release the Doctor immediately!"
"...Ha. How devoted you are."
Seren looked at them as if they were pathetic. The modified humans only followed Cromwell's orders. Since he was in danger, it was natural for them to try to save him even at the cost of their lives. As Seren was pondering how to deal with them, Osian stepped forward.
"Osian?"
"Wait. Let me handle this."
Osian slowly approached the group of modified humans. The expressions of the modified humans who saw Osian hardened stiffly. They had recognized who Osian was.
Some were trembling in fear. It was hard to believe that their emotions had been castrated.
Osian stopped at a certain distance.
"Stand down. I don't want to harm you."
"If you release the Doctor, we'll stand down."
"Cromwell was defeated in battle. We need to extract information from him."
"If you need data, we'll give you what's in the laboratory. So don't touch the Doctor."
"You speak your mind even while terrified. Is it because a command to protect Cromwell at all costs has been imprinted?"
At those words, the modified human who had spoken first shook his head.
"It's not like that. The reason we came forward like this is a choice we made. It's not about orders or anything like that."
"Not orders?"
"We are modified humans, but we don't necessarily follow the Doctor's orders. There are those who do and those who don't, precisely divided."
What the modified human revealed was surprising.
"The Doctor made us, who were abandoned by society, useful. He made us live like human beings."
"Becoming completely different humans through experiments means living like human beings?"
"Because before that, we weren't even human. We were like sewer rats."
None of the modified humans denied those words. They were all nodding. They were definitely different from the modified humans encountered before.
'It's not deception or lies. They're really afraid of me, and at the same time trying to protect Cromwell. Trying to protect the human who modified them. Is this even possible?'
It seemed necessary to confirm this with the one in front of him.
"Explain what makes you different from other modified humans."
"I, no, we are people abandoned by society too. We were half-dead, not even treated as human beings. Some had disabilities, some had incurable diseases, others lived lives contaminated by pollutants. It was the Doctor who saved us."
"You mean he made you into modified humans. But is that salvation? Don't you think he's using that as an excuse to bind you?"
"That's not right. The choice was entirely ours. The Doctor asked for our opinions on what we thought, and only modified those who said they would do it. Everyone here."
Osian frowned. There was a contradiction in what those modified humans were saying.
"Then what about the modified humans whose egos were destroyed and move like puppets?"
"Those people are criminals."
"Criminals?"
"There are quite a few people who volunteer to participate in experiments, but even more test subjects are filled with criminals. We regularly receive supplies of serious criminals from prisons and turn them into modified humans."
From the city government's perspective, it was good to reduce the increasing number of criminals each year, and Cromwell could conduct experiments. It was a deal made in the darkness of Tirna.
Was the test subject who conveyed a message at the entrance and died also a criminal or a terminal human?
"Of course, not all experiments are conducted under complete control. The White House isn't exclusively Dr. Cromwell's, and there are other doctors too. They're different from Dr. Cromwell. They're inhumane and even cruel."
"So Cromwell is different?"
"At least, he's different from other shameless scientists. Most of the experiments you misunderstand are committed by other scientists."
"That's a convenient excuse. Regardless, aren't they people who conduct human experiments? Do you really think you're truly innocent just because you pretend to be clean alone among them?"
"That's..."
When the modified human was trying to think of some rebuttal, someone spoke up. It was Cromwell, who had been listening to the conversation.
"He's right. Just because I act good alone doesn't really make me a virtuous person."
"Doctor! But Doctor, to protect the world...!"
"Enough. Regardless of the purpose, I cannot deny that I didn't discriminate in my methods. And that's not due to some irresistible reason. It's the result of my choice to do so. So I must fully accept the responsibility for that. Even if it means my death."
The modified humans reacted violently to the word death. They didn't want to let the doctor, who was their benefactor, die.
At that moment, Osian drew his starlight sword and split the ground. A deep groove was carved into the ground and the modified humans stepped back.
"Cross that line and you die. It's not just a threat. I keep my word."
The modified humans observed the situation. There was neither acceptance nor giving up in their demeanor.
"Everyone stand down."
Instead, it was Cromwell who spoke. The modified humans trembled at those words.
"B-but Doctor."
"Don't disgrace me any further."
"..."
When Cromwell spoke firmly, the modified humans stepped back. Osian closed his eyes tightly watching that scene. It would have been better if Cromwell had been a vicious bastard. If he had been just purely evil, he wouldn't have had such worries.
Cromwell is not a good person. What he had done could certainly be called evil. But there was a reason for his actions. There was a cause. To simply ignore and break that, Cromwell possessed too outstanding a talent.
Osian asked Cromwell.
"Tell me. About the things you know. How can Seren's body be healed?"
"Didn't I say I don't know?"
"Does that mean there's no way at all?"
"I'd need to research the details, but looking at the current state, it doesn't look easy."
Osian suddenly remembered one of the things Cromwell had said.
"You said there's someone in this city who knows everything. What exactly is that about?"
"..."
At those words, Cromwell closed his mouth for the first time. There's something there. Osian could guess that from Cromwell's attitude.
"There does seem to be something. And seeing that you can't speak carelessly about it, does bringing up the story have some kind of effect on you?"
Cromwell closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again with a sigh.
"Right. There's nothing more to hide. You're correct. There is someone in this city who knows everything."
"Who exactly is that?"
"The Wise King Solenon."
The Wise King? Osian fell into thought for a moment. It was a name he had heard somewhere before. Osian could recall it immediately.
"Isn't that someone from the very distant past?"
The Wise King Solenon was one of the NPCs that existed during the time when Osian was playing the game. He was a king who led a human nation and was rumored to be the wisest.
Since there was usually no story connection with such NPCs, he was just a background element in the story setting. Even Osian, who had been a hardcore player, could barely recall him due to his faint presence.
Why was that Wise King's name coming up?
"The Wise King Solenon didn't die. He's still alive and residing in this city."
"Wasn't he human?"
"Let me ask you one thing. Who do you think I learned to handle ancient powers from?"
At Cromwell's words, Osian's expression hardened.
"It wasn't something you realized alone through experiments?"
"There are some aspects like that. But the greatest influence was the knowledge that Solenon gave me. Research on methods using ancient powers. It was he who taught me that and gave me permission."
Setting aside how a human from the distant past is still alive. The fact that he had handed over materials and information to Cromwell was unbelievable.
"An ancient Wise King is still alive."
Moreover, from what Cromwell was saying, he seemed to occupy a very important position in this city called Tirna.
'Even Gaien didn't tell me such facts. Since he wouldn't have remained silent while knowing, it means the Wise King's existence is kept so secret that even Gaien doesn't know.'
Gaien had been with Tirna almost since its birth. That even he didn't know was truly surprising.
"Then does that Wise King know about Seren's treatment method?"
"Probably that's..."
Cromwell stopped speaking.
Suddenly, the sound of metal coming from the darkness interrupted his words. With clanking sounds, something approached this place.
What soon revealed itself was an automaton painted in jet black. The automaton's eyes glowed red.
[Cromwell. So it has come to this after all.]
Osian immediately recognized who it was.
"The secretary of Mayor Deliphiros, the Puppeteer."
Why on earth had the Puppeteer appeared here? Osian had no choice but to realize the truth.
"Deliphiros. He too was related to the Wise King."