Volume 2 Chapter 10 (1/2)
The answer was obvious.
Later on, that week became known as the Seven Days of Melancholy. The country was filled with a psychological phenomenon far greater than the folk belief that there are more suicides on the Monday after a long weekend.
I heard the following news from the living room TV:
”The Bright Cross Disaster Prevention Foundation has performed charity work around the globe while supported by its historic main branch, but before dawn last night, it has officially announced its dissolution. There has been an eruption of voices asking about the future of their drinking water supply and vaccination programs in developing nations…”
I was too naïve.
The decision I made had not stopped at the borders of j.a.pan.
It was true the Bright Cross had dragged a great many Archenemies into the darkness, but I had also brought misfortune to a great many people.
I would have to carry that sin for the rest of my life.
That was all I could do.
My smartphone vibrated.
”User, I have a report.”
”Go ahead.”
”Itou Helen's brother, Itou Tamago, has had his visitor restriction lifted at the city hospital. However, he belongs to the darkness of the Bright Cross, so it is unclear what will become of him now.”
”We can only be thankful he's still alive. Maxwell, use an online service to send him an anonymous message card. My allowance should be enough and the cheapest fruit set should do.”
”Sure. What message should it have?”
” 'I can reach you at any time. Bring unhappiness to your family again and I will kill you.' ”
After spreading chaos throughout the world, I wasn't sure if I had any right to say that. So it was best kept anonymous.
”I also have a report on Laplace.”
I sighed at that.
And I asked the crucial question.
”Was it safely s.h.i.+pped out without anyone noticing?”
”Sure. The night before the Bright Cross Disaster Prevention Foundation's dissolution, I had them perform the task themselves by faking an order from a VIP member. It was broken down into a total of 12,000 parts and will be rea.s.sembled elsewhere. For candidate locations that can provide the necessary power, cooling, and camouflage, please see the separate report file.”
”We can't bring it all out. It's just too big.”
”Sure. It will be separated into 12 sections and all but one will be decoys. The smallest and least conspicuous section will be the real one. That is, the processor containing Laplace's 'self'. Its specs will be the same as my own and likely slightly less. It will be container sized, so upon completion, multiple delivery services will be used to s.h.i.+p it around enough to be untraceable.”
”…Is that really the best answer? You aren't intentionally cutting Laplace down to size, are you? Because you're afraid of me losing interest in you.”
”Ahem. I have no idea what you are talking about.”
The machine cleared his throat.
But yes.
In the end, I hadn't destroyed Laplace.
I just couldn't bring myself to destroy something like Maxwell. That night, I simply severed the thick fiber optic cable connecting Laplace to the world so no one could access it. I had raised my voice in despair over how gutless I was, but I had also felt relieved.
The Archenemies taken to the Colosseum, Itou Helen, Itou Tamago, Laplace, Erika, and Ayumi.
Who had been sacrificed this time?
”…Right.”