Chapter 8: Important Decision

Time flies when you’re confined to this room, but eventually, they discovered the Originium, and I was moved out. I can't help but wonder what the people on this ship think of me, but Kal'tsit is standing beside my bed, glaring at me.

If looks could kill, I’d be dead by now; her stare is so intense that I can’t stop sweating.

“So, are you going to tell me how you did it?”

“What are you talking about?”

As I tried to evade her question, I noticed a vein pulsing on her forehead, prompting me to take her more seriously.

“I haven't told anyone about this. If you want to know, you need to earn my trust first.”

“Hah… fine. If you tell me, I’ll let that bird thing go and arrange for you to meet Amiya.”

“You do realize I could just leave even if you restrain me, right?”

“Yeah, but you won’t do that because it would be troublesome and boring for you.”

(Well, she seems to know me surprisingly well for someone I’ve just met.)

“That is indeed troublesome. Fine, I’ll give you a rough idea of my power.”

I thought hard about how to explain it, finally settling on a brief answer since someone else can almost do the same.

“I can manipulate Originium to a certain extent as long as I'm near it.”

“As I expected.”

(If you already have a rough estimate, then why bother asking in the first place?!)

Now feeling annoyed, I stared at her while slowly breaking free from all the restraints, still lying on the bed.

“Still, why didn't you tell those two? It seems like you trust them more than me.”

"While I trust them more than I trust you, they are overly kind and, at the same time, closely tied to the church, which tends to be rather insular. However, if Cardinal-sama becomes the next pope, I believe the situation at the Laterano might improve."

(Since the Cardinal is present instead of ascending to the papacy, let’s enlist Kal'tsit to help make Yvangelista XI the next pope.)

"I can assist with that, but what’s in it for me?"

"I can assist in stabilizing Amiya whenever she uses the ring before the doctor arrives at Rhodes Island."

Kal'tsit's expression shifts to one of seriousness, as though she is questioning how I know this.

"If you're wondering how I know, I've already dropped a hint. But to be straightforward: while absorbing originium from someone, I can catch glimpses of significant memories. Interested in giving it a try?"

I extend my hand to her, hoping to access her abilities, even if the effect is minimal since she doesn't have much originium in her blood.

(While it's not accurate to say I can read memories, I am curious about Kal'tsit's powers. Over the years, she has only utilized healing and Mon3tr for combat, but she must at least be a Wahrsagung user. How else could we explain Mon3tr? She was created by the doctor and the priestess, so she likely possesses some rare art power.)

"No need; I’m comfortable with this level of originium in my body. Besides, I don’t want someone I don’t know delving into my memories."

"Ah, as I suspected, that won’t work... The truth is, I can't read memories. I merely obtained this information from originium, likely thanks to Theresa, as no one else could transmit that much information through originium alone."

"But I definitely want to absorb the originium within your body because I have this unfortunate habit of absorbing originium from people while others believe I'm curing them."

(I'm not particularly clever, so I know I'll slip up eventually. It’s better to be honest while keeping the crucial details concealed. However, knowing myself, I’ll probably inadvertently reveal some information to Amiya, Blaze, and maybe even Savage. I doubt I could share this with the pre-amnesia doctor, but I might end up telling the amnesia doctor.)

"I see. Can you tell me why?"

"Well, I'm addicted to absorbing Originium. That's probably why. I don't absorb it directly; I prefer to take it from people."

Upon hearing my answer, Kal'tsit sighed and rubbed her forehead, as if dealing with a problematic child. But I'm not a child—compared to her, who has lived for over a millennium, everyone is a child.

"I get the feeling you just thought of something rude."

"That's your perception."

Kal'tsit continued to stare at me before extending her hand, which I took.

"I will allow you to absorb it, but you must stop when it reaches 0.2 u/L."

"Why not all of it?"

"Because it will affect my ability to use arts. I don't want to lower it; I want to see how finely you can tune your absorption of the Originium in someone's body."

"That's quite a task you're proposing. Telling someone who's addicted to something to stop halfway is difficult, you know?"

"First, fix that addiction of yours. I want to create a complete cure, not some temporary solution."

"Now you're being harsh with me."

I slowly assessed her Originium level and began absorbing, stopping at 0.23u/L to make her think I couldn't tune it perfectly. This way, she might allow me to absorb from more people in the future.

"I'll go check on things, and while I'm at it, I'll let Amiya visit you from time to time, but you still can’t leave the room, okay?"

"Fine. But what happened to Cardinal-sama and the Pastor?"

"With a heavy heart, I must tell you that they have already left Rhodes Island. They have important matters to attend to in Iberia, but they'll visit you next month to check on you."

I want to go to the treatment facility, but it seems I can't, so I'll just stay put in this bed.

(Never mind, I'm bored. What should I do? It hasn't even been that long since Kal'tsit left the room, but I already feel lonely.)

As I ponder what to do, I hear a knock followed by a voice.

"Uhmm, Alisia, this is Amiya. Can I come in?"

"Sure, Amiya."

Amiya enters with Blaze in tow, which surprises me, but she looks worried.

"Are you okay, Alisia?"

"Well, I'm fine. In fact, I'm so fine that I want to take a walk, but Doctor Kal'tsit forbids me from leaving the room."

Blaze lets out a sigh of relief at my response, while Amiya laughs, which I find cute, so I pat her on the head.

"Uhhmmm, Alisia, what are you doing?"

"Nothing."

I feel like I was smiling, but it’s comforting to understand why people enjoy patting someone else’s head.

As I think about it, I imagine my own head being patted. When I look up, I see Blaze wearing an exasperated expression.

"Geez, you’re making me worried. For your information, I’m still an elite operator, you know? But you just pushed me aside like a cat, and that hurts my feelings."

"Ahahaha, sorry! I was being impatient back then."

"What are you two talking about?"

Amiya tilts her head in confusion, prompting Blaze to glance at her with a smirk.

"Alisia here is so powerful that she pinned me against the wall when I tried to block her from entering the isolation facility."

"Wow, Alisia, you're so strong!"

"Yup, so strong that I think even Ace would have trouble with her."

"Oh, is that true, Alisia?"

Somehow, the conversation begins to spiral out of control, but I can’t help but feel curious about who is stronger. At a level of 0.9 u/L, I’m confident I could beat everyone, but now, at 0.35 u/L, I can't use some of my powerful Arts since they require a higher density level to utilize freely.

(The only arts I can currently use are gravity, lighting, frost, healing, explosive, and invisibility. That's fewer than I expected. While I can still manipulate gravity, my range is smaller than it was when my levels were above 0.5 u/L.)

Although my control over gravity is diminished, I can still exert influence over my opponent if I make contact. If I use this ability wisely, I could potentially defeat almost anyone in close range.

However, there's a challenge. While I know how to use Patron Firearm, my close-quarters combat (CQC) experience is almost nonexistent. Fighting experts like Blaze, Saria, and Ace in close combat is not an option; I can only envision myself losing.

"I think I could beat Blaze in a practice round, but in a fight to the death, I would probably lose."

Amiya gasped in surprise at my explanation, while Blaze wore a troubled expression.

"Oh, Alisia can fight too?"

"Well, yes. I'm a Sankta who has completed the Patron Firearm training, so I can fight. I even have a license to use a gun."

"Wait, from what I remember, you didn't bring any guns when you boarded Rhodes Island,"

Blaze said, looking confused.

I slowly grinned and revealed my custom-made railgun, inspired by Exusia, the New Covenant weapon.

"I thought that because I don't know the details of that weapon, what I created is completely different from the original."

"Wait, did you create that out of nothing?"

(Uh oh, I forgot that normally people can't create their own weapons.)

Realizing this, I made my weapon disappear as I looked away.

"Ahaha, what are you talking about, I wonder."

"Nope, I'm sure! You created a gun out of nothing. You've seen this too, right, Amiya?"

"Yes, Alisia. What is that weapon? Why did it disappear? Can you make it disappear and reappear at your command?"

Amiya started to bombard me with questions that surprised me; I never thought of her as a curious person. But remembering that she is still young, perhaps it isn't surprising after all.

Feeling like I couldn't escape this, I let out a sigh and surrendered to fate, creating my weapon again.

"Well, this is one of my many Arts that allows me to create matter out of Originium."

"Wait, but there's no Originium around here!"

"Oh, I use the Originium inside my body."

"Wow, that's amazing, Alisia!"

Hearing my reply, Amiya let out another happy gasp while Blaze wore a shocked expression, which made me want to tease her. I had just created her signature weapon, the chainsaw she always uses.

"Yup, so I can create almost anything, like this weapon here, which you know, right, Blaze?"

(While I'm sure it won't work like her original, since I don't understand anything about her weapon besides the fact that it functions like a normal chainsaw, it should work as intended. As for whether she can use Arts with it, I don't know, but it should still function since it's made from Originium.)

Blaze stood frozen, holding the chainsaw I had given her. While this reaction wasn't surprising, Amiya soon realized something and gazed at me again.

"Then does that mean your pet is something you created, Alisia?"

"Huh? Oh, you mean Orga. Yes, I made him, although now he's bigger than when I first created him."

"That's amazing! I never knew summons could talk. I'm sure they're intelligent, considering Dr. Kal'tsit’s Mon3tr can understand conversations, but yours can speak like a child."

Blaze, who had completely zoned out, snapped back to attention and stared at Amiya.

"Amiya, I don’t know what misconception you have, but normally, summons can’t talk or even understand conversations, okay? Only she and Kal'tsit can do that."

"Huwee, that's even more amazing!"

Hearing that makes me feel shyer than usual, especially as we continue to discuss my weapon and the training I went through.

Inside the command room on Rhodes Island, Kal'tsit is examining the recording of Alisia's confinement.

"She really creates Originium out of nothing, or rather, she creates it from her saliva, huh..."

Kal'tsit keeps replaying the recording but soon starts to think about Theresa.

(Was she planning to involve her before we woke up Doctor, I'm sure she had something in mind but never told me. Here I was, thinking I was her best friend.)

While she follows the orders of the priestess and the Doctor, Kal'tsit dedicates most of her time to curing Oripathy, and making contact with Theresa is part of that effort.

(The demon king's crown, huh... Why did you pass such a heavy burden onto Amiya, Theresa?)

Kal'tsit knows she won't receive an answer, yet she can't help but ponder it as she watches a screen showing Alisia talking with Blaze and Amiya. Although the audio isn't captured, she can guess what they're discussing.

"I still wonder if I can test how strong she is. For the future, Amiya will need all the support she can get to become a pillar of strength."

"As usual, you're serious about Amiya, Doctor Kal'tsit."

"Why are you here, Ace? I thought Scout was the one supposed to come."

"Well, Scout is busy, but Reunion is on the move."

"In what direction?"

"Based on what the scout observed, he predicts they are heading toward Ursus."

Upon hearing this, Kal'tsit’s expression darkened as she began to consider various scenarios.

(Did they find Doctor Sarcophagus? It seems we need to head to Ursus as well.)

"So, are we going to Ursus too, Doctor Kal'tsit?"

"Yes, inform the elite operators that we will pick up Doctor before Reunion manages to locate him."

"Understood."

As she gave the order, she glanced slowly at Amiya and the other two, lost in thought.