[122]
Jessica couldn’t understand those words at first.
Fortuna mumbled with a dreamy voice.
“So, the mind this Esper has touched is… like seeing a truly beautiful painting.”
This was more like a realm of art.
“Like an oil painting drawn on a massive canvas.”
Her dreamy tone carried an inevitable admiration.
Fortuna is an Esper who perceives others’ minds more vividly than reality. It’s because her physical senses have deteriorated.
So the things others saw, heard, and experienced with their still-functioning senses were bound to feel stimulating to her.
Especially the mental world of the person she was investigating now was flawlessly beautiful.
“Hmm.”
Jessica frowned, unable to understand.
“When I dive into this person’s mind, it’s truly perfect. Childhood. Adolescence. Young adulthood…”
Fortuna gazed across the ward. Though slightly blurry, she could see the outline of the curtain.
Beyond it lay the Thorns Order Esper whom Fortuna had thoroughly searched, restrained and lying down.
After returning from the Spring Continent, Fortuna was cooperating with Peter Garrett, the locksmith of Barrel Society, under Yuri’s orders.
Peter, who had been investigating the relationship between the Shoemaker and the Baker, delivered a fresh subject to Fortuna.
An outsider who crossed the boundaries of Barrel Society and cooperated with both the Shoemaker and the Baker.
His identity was an Esper from the Thorns Order.
Worried about a potential rescue, Peter sent Fortuna and this Esper to the Winter Continent.
Thanks to this, Fortuna was conducting her investigation at the Baekyah headquarters in Orum City.
The reason for doing this in the infirmary was because the subject’s life could be at risk according to the restrictions of mental Espers.
When Fortuna dived into that mind, Jessica monitored the prisoner’s condition from the outside. If his vitals deteriorated, she would signal Fortuna to pull her out.
This way, Fortuna could slowly dig into the depths of his mind without killing this valuable source of information.
“Is being perfect a problem?”
“Of course it’s a problem.”
Fortuna gave a pale smile.
“Human memories are never perfect.”
She continued, almost singing.
“Pain gets diluted. Happiness gets distorted.”
These tendencies become prominent when diving into human minds.
Painful memories are colorless and blurry. Meanwhile, happy memories are either excessively brilliant or have irregular boundaries, reflecting heightened emotions.
“Ah.”
“Basically, human minds are designed to forget painful things. Not because we’re weak, but to survive.”
Thinking that this somehow sounded like something she was telling herself, Fortuna smiled bitterly.
When she was in Rosenhauser’s grasp, her mind and abilities were used to connect intercontinental communication networks. Those long, arduous hours of pain are now fragmented even when she tries to recall them.
Literally “forgotten.”
“Right. I’ve seen such cases a few times.”
Jessica nodded slightly. Patients brought in after major accidents often don’t remember the moment the incident occurred.
“But the memories of humans touched by that Esper are excessively perfect. There’s an obsessive and meticulous structure.”
Fortuna chuckled.
“People forget even what they ate yesterday if it wasn’t particularly memorable.”
“So you’ve found a way to break through that perfection?”
“Let’s say I’ve discovered a detour.”
Fortuna’s gaze became slightly vacant, as if staring into empty space.
“It feels like walking through a well-crafted script. Like entering a set where an actor performs a one-man show, crying when the director says cry, laughing when told to laugh. Now that I know it’s a performance, I just need to reach the actor beyond.”
The issue was time.
“They were tracking Baekyah’s movements with some kind of purpose. It’s clear they have a grand plan. We need to find out before it’s too late…”
To extract information without killing the prisoner required patience. But if the Thorns Order’s plan has already been executed, all of Fortuna’s efforts would be in vain.
‘Baekyah might suffer tremendous damage.’
Not a pleasant thought.
Jessica’s hand landed on Fortuna’s serious-looking shoulder.
At the unexpected contact, Fortuna flinched but didn’t pull away.
“You’re doing well.”
Jessica’s voice was gentle. Fortuna felt her toes curl up tightly.
‘Good thing they’re hidden in my shoes.’
Ordinary people avoid mental Espers. It’s due to the prejudice that memories might be read with just a touch.
But Jessica reached out to Fortuna without hesitation.
Thanks to Jessica, Fortuna realized she had been longing for human warmth.
She impulsively asked:
“Would you… hide important information in happy memories or sad memories?”
“Me? Hmm. If it were me…”
Jessica closed her mouth with a thoughtful expression, not flustered by the sudden question.
“I’d hide it somewhere unfamiliar to me.”
“Why?”
“People usually think that if they don’t know a place well, others won’t either.”
“Ah…!”
Fortuna’s eyes widened slightly. She firmly grasped Jessica’s hand, unable to contain her joy at finding an unexpected clue.
“Thank you.”
As Fortuna tried to hurriedly get up, Jessica gently pressed her shoulder down.
“Don’t move carelessly. The blood might flow back.”
“But.”
Pretending not to hear, Jessica picked up Fortuna’s chart and took off the pen cap with her teeth.
“Doctor’s orders. Finish your IV before you go.”
After completing the chart, Jessica winked.
“It’s not something that will be solved by rushing.”
“That’s… true.”
Fortuna groaned with a pained sound.
“I’ve already submitted a guiding request. Team Leader Gwen has approved it, so a Guide should arrive around dinner time. It would be perfect if you come out of the dive then and have dinner.”
“I focus better on an empty stomach.”
“Oh dear.”
Jessica wrinkled her nose at Fortuna’s words.
“Looks like I’ll be eating alone.”
It was an obvious ploy.
“…Alright.”
Jessica whistled.
“Why do you care so much?”
“Well, preventing illness is the best form of treatment.”
Fortuna couldn’t help but smile at that.
“You really are… a diligent person.”
“That’s not what I’d expect to hear from someone who was trying to work while skipping meals. I always eat three meals a day and never work during breaks.”
Jessica hummed as she walked away.
Fortuna closed her eyes, resting her head comfortably on the pillow.
Since the capable doctor said to rest, she should rest.
‘And when I wake up, I’ll go check beyond those happy memories.’
It left a bitter taste knowing that those perfectly constructed memories were ultimately well-crafted fakes.
She couldn’t help but feel sad that the mental Esper who crafted these fake memories probably lived an unfortunate life like hers.
‘But.’
Fortuna smiled faintly.
‘That doesn’t mean I’m going to give up.’
She wanted to win and protect Baekyah, which had given her a new life.
***
“Commander, the member dispatched to Area B hasn’t returned.”
“Leave it be. Baekyah and Northern Light are looking for us now, so it’s not strange if one or two members get caught.”
“But if he discovers something…”
The man called Commander shook his head.
“Unlike those incompetent fools, my aide’s work is perfect. Whoever disappeared cannot reveal the truth to outsiders. You know that.”
“…I apologize. I was just anxious.”
“I don’t understand why you’re worried. We’ve been standing on a precarious tightrope from the beginning anyway.”
The Commander frowned while staring into space.
“If anything, things are easier now compared to then.”
When his gaze fixed on him, the member gulped.
“Ah, is that why you all can’t get your act together?”
The Commander’s hand twitched.
The member, looking at the floor, realized that his fingernails were quite ragged. Those were clearly marks from biting.
Compassion flashed in the member’s eyes.
“How long has it been since we warned that Northern Light had entered the Spring Continent? Now the abandoned factory, which was the largest production site for guiding drugs, has fallen into enemy hands. We’re about to fall out with the Babel market who was our partner. Fake guiding establishments are struggling due to crackdowns.”
The man who had been counting on his fingers let out an exaggerated sigh.
“At least our money source hasn’t dried up, that’s fortunate I guess.”
A deep sigh seemed to weigh his shoulders down.
“I didn’t ask much of you. We don’t have much time either. It was just one short-term project to succeed, why is it so exhausting?”
The Commander patted the member’s shoulder.
“Don’t be too tense. We’re all comrades pursuing a noble goal.”
The member trembled as if moved.
“Yes, that’s right. For the liberation of all humans.”
“For liberation.”
With the Commander’s quiet response, the member bowed his head and retreated.
Although it was tiresome to have to comfort and kick these people in the rear every time, it couldn’t be helped. He couldn’t be everywhere at once.
‘They require so much effort.’
The man took a deep breath.
Sweet air filled his lungs.
Compared to the disgustingly stale underground air, every day felt worth living.
Even the impending doom seemed sweet.
“Just a little, just a little longer…”
On the day he saw the sun again, the Commander had sworn.
To end all of this.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
