Chapter 24

### Chapter 24: The Fuse (1)

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#1

Under the sun, deep shadows are cast.

Slightly pursed, light pink lips. Pale, snow-white skin. Calm, deep purple eyes hidden behind clear eyelashes. Her jet-black hair, shimmering in the light, clung to and flowed down the side of Mu's face.

Her eyebrows, which had been parallel, now met in the middle, hinting that she had something important to say to me.

Today is not a weekday but a weekend.

I don't know what Mu was doing here, but since she had no further plans, she must have been about to return to the dormitory. Then, she must have run into me by chance and hoped to have a brief conversation.

If I were to talk to Mu... what should I do?

As I had told her at the ball, most of what I wanted to say to her had already been conveyed through letters. But Mu must have felt differently, so she was earnestly asking me to spare her some time.

"Sorry, I have to go somewhere now. Let's talk next time."

"......"

I rejected Mu's request.

It wasn't a cheap excuse.

I didn't particularly want to have a conversation, but I was willing to listen to what she had to say.

It was just a bad time.

I had to head to Nadieley's private laboratory at the agreed time.

Mu pressed her lips together and lowered her gaze.

"......Where are you going?"

Since she had taken the tram to get here, she must have known I had something to do. To her credit, she didn't try to hold me back further and instead asked where I was going.

I turned my head slightly.

"A professor called me."

It wasn't far. From here, I could see the top floor of the tall building where Nadieley was likely waiting for me.

Mu followed my gaze to the same spot.

"......A professor?"

"Yeah. She wants to study my psychic abilities."

"Psychic abilities......"

Mu seemed to be pondering my words.

Finally, she released her grip on my sleeve and nodded slightly.

"Alright. If you have something to do, there's nothing you can do about it."

"Yeah, maybe later......"

Just as I was about to turn away,

"Wait, Elio."

Mu called me back.

"......What?"

What now?

"Do you have any other plans after this?"

"Not really......"

"Then."

Mu sat down on the bench carefully.

Then she looked up at me and asked.

"Can I wait here for you?"

"......"

So, she really wants to talk to me.

Mu's expression seemed quite sincere, so I couldn't bring myself to say it wasn't necessary.

"I don't know when I'll be done. It might take a while."

"It's fine. I don't mind."

No, I don't feel fine.

I might be in there until sunset, and it wouldn't be right to make her wait here the whole time.

Mu was the type of person who would do what she wanted, so she would probably sit here until I came back.

I sighed briefly.

"Why don't you go to a cafe and wait there? I'll come when I'm done. It's too crowded here, and it's uncomfortable to sit for a long time."

Mu blinked for a moment.

Then she nodded demurely.

"......Y-Yeah. Thanks..."

"I don't know if you should be thankful. Do you see the Signal Cafe on the street next to us? Wait there. I'll come when I'm done."

People started to enter the station.

— Wow, man. She's hot. Should I try talking to her?

— Get lost, you're not good enough. I'll go.

— What the hell......

Seeing Mu sitting on the bench and me talking to her, some people started to murmur and a few of them seemed to approach us with inexplicable confidence.

But I ignored them.

"......Yeah, I understand."

Only then,

Mu smiled brightly.

#2

Nadieley's laboratory was on the 15th floor, the top floor.

It seemed she was treated quite well, as her private laboratory was located in a particularly luxurious building in the 4th academic district.

I heard she was a distinguished professor personally invited by the Frontier Headquarters for special Epic Class education. It turned out she was quite famous both inside and outside the empire. Moreover, this was her first semester.

In any case, she was a remarkable person. Of course, I suspected there might be a hidden reason for Nadieley's fame, but let's set that aside for now.

I had been called by such a prestigious professor to privately assist her research.

Is my ability that special?

I'm not sure. But,

Since a top-tier professor in the field of psychic abilities had said so, it must be true.

Hummm......

While riding the elevator, I clenched and unclenched my hands.

I still hadn't heard what I was supposed to help with.

However, if she were to grab my hand again and make me uncomfortable, or do something even worse, I planned to bow politely and quickly leave the laboratory.

Ding—

After various thoughts, I arrived at the 15th floor.

I stepped out of the elevator.

A long marble corridor stretched out in front of me.

It seemed the soundproofing in each room was excellent, as the atmosphere was very quiet and calm.

Nadieley's laboratory was supposed to be straight ahead after turning right down the corridor.

Thud, thud—

There was indeed only one room.

I approached it and knocked on the iron door at the end of the corridor.

Knock knock.

"Professor, I'm Elio Cranil, a student in the Extra Sensory Perception Theory class......"

Before I could finish,

Click.

The tightly closed door opened.

Nadieley, with a tousled face, appeared in the gap and smiled warmly.

"Welcome, Elio. Please come in."

#3

"Would you like a cup of tea? I'm a bit embarrassed, but the only thing I can make is black tea. Is that okay?"

"Ah, yes. Anything is fine. Thank you."

"That's good. Please wait a moment."

Nadieley went into the next room.

"......"

I sat on the guest sofa and looked around.

Nadieley's laboratory seemed to be not fully unpacked yet, with unopened boxes and items scattered around.

The space was quite spacious. Behind a table filled with unknown documents, a rectangular window frame let in sunlight. A soft-looking chair, similar to the one I had seen in the Academy's dean's office, was placed on the floor, turned sideways.

On the bookshelf, various professional books were visible. Not only about psychic abilities, but surprisingly, books from a wide range of fields. Perhaps reading was a hobby of hers. Of course, it was quite remarkable that a few ancient books filled with unreadable ancient scripts were also on the shelf.

On the other hand, it was somewhat surprising.

Nadieley's outward appearance was soft and comfortable, but this place felt somewhat stiff.

Perhaps it was because it was a laboratory, which usually has a cold atmosphere.

"Here you go, Elio."

"Thank you."

While I was looking around the laboratory, Nadieley had already brought a teacup on a tray.

Inside the white teacup with flower patterns, a deep red liquid swayed with a rich aroma.

"I'm not sure if it will suit your taste. It might be a bit sweet, but is that okay?"

"It's fine. I like sweet things......"

"Hehe, that's a relief."

Nadieley was not in her robe. She looked like she had just woken up.

Instead of the dark blue robe that usually enveloped her, she was wearing a black silk dress that accentuated her chest explosively.

The creamy white skin, contrasting with the dark dress, shimmered in the sunlight.

Nadieley, sitting on the sofa opposite me, crossed her legs and sipped her tea before speaking to me.

"Elio."

"Yes, Professor."

"Did you contact the headquarters when you came here?"

"......Huh? You said it wasn't necessary to contact you......"

"Oh, right. Sorry. I was just asking."

Nadieley chuckled.

"Anyway, the reason I called you to my laboratory is... as I mentioned before, I want to personally study Elio's special psychic ability."

Thud.

Nadieley put down her teacup on the table.

As her slender fingers, which had been holding the teacup handle, caught my eye, I suddenly felt embarrassed, remembering the last time.

"Don't worry. It's not your fault."

"......Huh?"

"Since I knew it would happen, it's fine to not take it to heart."

Nadieley smiled calmly.

For some reason, it felt like she had read my mind, and a small shiver ran down my shoulder. However, since I had indeed been looking at her hands, I couldn't help but laugh awkwardly...

A moment later.

"Elio."

"Yes."

Nadieley called my name softly.

My intuition whispered that this was the beginning.

"Based on your own judgment, what do you think your psychic ability is exactly?"

"......My psychic ability, you mean?"

"Yes."

After pondering how to explain it,

I gave the first answer that came to mind.

"......I think it's an ability that eliminates or degrades the power related to a talent within an object."

"Talent, you say......"

Nadieley made a hmm sound.

Then,

"Elio, in my opinion."

"Yes, Professor."

"Although you gave a similar answer at the Frontier, in fact, Elio's psychic ability is not the kind that can be defined with such vague terms."

"......What do you mean?"

I couldn't have any certainty about my ability.

I had only discovered it a few months ago, and even after various experiments at the Frontier, I couldn't come up with a different answer than the one I just gave.

However, Nadieley, as a prestigious professor in the field of psychic abilities, seemed to know something about my unique ability.

"To understand the concept of eliminating a talent, you first need to understand a higher concept."

Nadieley continued to ask.

"Elio, what exactly is a talent?"

"......?"

What is a talent?

When asked so directly, I wasn't sure how to define it.

Seeing me close my mouth, Nadieley smiled slightly as if understanding my thoughts and spoke.

"Generally, talent refers to everything a person is born with. The skills and abilities needed to perform a task... we call all of these talents."

"Therefore, saying someone has no talent means they cannot perform a task normally, and saying someone has talent means they can perform the task more smoothly and easily."

"So, talent refers to everything a person is born with. Talents acquired through genetics or external factors also fall under the same category. Eliminating such talents means destroying the fundamental components that make up a person."

"This is a very terrifying thing. If done incorrectly, it could destroy the balance of a person's body and soul, causing them to fall apart."

"However, Elio can arbitrarily remove a person's talent and then return it to its original state. This is something that should be impossible."

"That's why Elio's ability is special."

"Temporarily eliminating or degrading someone's talent... I've never heard of such a thing. It's a dangerous ability that shouldn't exist in the world. If it were to develop in a strange way, it could turn a person into a mere shell with a single gesture."

"......Is that so......?"

It felt like I was being scolded. The idea that my ability shouldn't exist in the world was unsettling and scary...

To alleviate my anxiety, Nadieley smiled and held her teacup.

"Although I said that, it's actually different."

"......Huh?"

Blinking, I looked at Nadieley, who asked,

"Elio, do you know that talents have different levels?"

Levels...

I think I understand what she means.

"When an ordinary person takes one step, a person with a decent talent takes two or three steps. A person with a slightly better talent might take five steps."

Nadieley sipped her tea lightly.

"But people with talents of a different caliber, when everyone else is walking on the road, they float in the sky and look down on them."

People who can reach heights that are impossible to reach with their own strength, no matter what they do, and can only look up at them. In the past, I felt countless frustrations when I saw such people.

"Geniuses are exactly those kinds of people."

Nadieley smiled.

Then, she paused and continued briefly.

"What is a genius?"

"It's a talent bestowed by heaven."

"Not a talent acquired through human genetics, but a talent directly given by heaven."

"Then, what is heaven?"

Nadieley suddenly pointed her finger at the ceiling.

...No, beyond it.

"It's a god."

Then, she lowered her head and looked at me.

"Geniuses in this world all possess strong divine power."

"......Divine power?"

I heard an unexpected word from her.

But Nadieley didn't seem to be speaking from a religious perspective; she seemed to be stating a fact.

Nadieley nodded solemnly.

"Yes. The color of each person's divine power may differ, but regardless, it is a much stronger divine power than that of a person with ordinary talent... that's what a genius is."

"Moreover, everyone possesses a faint divine power within them. After all, this world was created by a god, and it's undeniable."

"But sometimes, people with peculiar colors and forms of divine power appear, and such people often possess unknown abilities that don't exist in this world."

"Elio, you are exactly like that."

"Divine power that repels divine power... Elio's ability is paradoxical and fascinating, more so than anyone else's."

"Although it doesn't have the intense divine power of a once-in-a-century genius, its color and form are extremely unique."

"Therefore, it can overshadow other people's divine power with its own, temporarily stopping the abilities of those with weaker divine power, and partially limit the abilities of those with stronger divine power."

"——This is the true nature of the ability Elio possesses."

Nadieley smiled after finishing her explanation.

"......"

Goodness.

It felt like I had uncovered a secret I shouldn't have known.

Staring blankly at Nadieley, who had revealed the true nature of my ability, which neither I nor the Frontier knew, I felt a chill.

"Ha— Elio, you see......"

Nadieley.

Tapping the now empty teacup with her fingers, she sighed deeply.

"Because I've never experienced such a unique divine power in my life, when I first encountered it, I wanted to pounce on Elio right there. It was an incredibly thrilling experience, making my wings tingle. Waiting for just four days was so difficult."

"......Huh? What, what did you want to do?"

For a moment, I thought I had misheard.

...No.

She had said something strange just now.

"I said I wanted to pounce on you, Elio."

"......"

Nadieley smiled again.

Shiver.

Seeing her say it so confidently, I felt an inexplicable chill. My blood drained from my face, and my body stiffened.

When she held my hand before, I had a vague sense that she was strange, but now it was different.

"......Professor?"

...Something incomprehensible was happening.

Crack, crack, crack——

A sound came from the back of Nadieley's black dress.

But it was such a terrifying and disgusting sound that I shuddered violently to shake off the rising disgust from within.

Whoosh—

A pair of black masses spread out widely from the shadows. Even though I saw it with my own eyes, I couldn't understand what was happening.

...And finally.

When I first met Nadieley's eyes.

"Elio."

The calm, transparent eyes I saw then...

"......I covet your divine power. Very much."

Slowly, they turned a deep crimson.

Thud.

With a short sound, the lights in the laboratory went out.

My vision turned pitch black instantly.

A sudden power outage?

No, it wasn't that.

If it were a power outage...

The outside of the window wouldn't be dark.

Whoosh—

The research laboratory, darkened to the corners of my vision.

Nadieley, or rather, someone of unknown identity, had long, slit eyes that emitted a red smoke in the darkness.

An alarm was ringing wildly in my head.

"Really sloppy, you idiots. What's this absolute barrier that's only broken once in a hundred years? I can get in so easily if I want to."

...My body wouldn't move at all.

I couldn't even twitch a finger.

I couldn't even tremble my lips.

Stuck to the guest sofa, I had lost all control over my body.

"......Oh, not immediately? It took about 40 years to get here. Still, I think it was a good deal. Hehe."

Nadieley, who was now something else, spoke without opening her mouth.

Her voice, distorted and muffled, was crammed into my head.

"You didn't contact the headquarters as instructed, and it's a Saturday morning. The Epic Class doesn't have a curfew, right? So, no one will notice if you're gone for two days, right? ...Right, Elio?"

...I have to run.

I have to.

Even trying to twist my joints to break my bones, my body wouldn't move, and in the end, I could do nothing.

"Well, after two days......you'll just be a shell, anyway."

With her distorted laugh,

I lost consciousness.

#4

4th Academic District, Seria Class Station.

Signal Cafe on 2nd Road.

In the cafe, which seemed to have the most customers this month, a soft classical music played as someone sat at a table by the window, sipping a coffee with ice cubes.

Ignoring the gazes of others, Mu had been calmly dismissing the male students who approached her and was now resting her chin, gazing out the window.

'Senior, when will you come......'

The sunlight shining down was warm.

Finally, I had a chance to talk to Elio.

"......Hmm, hmm, hmm♪"

For some reason, it felt like something good would happen today, and Mu smiled faintly, something she hadn't done in a long time while alone.

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