Chapter 268
Even with Keen Senses honed by a microchip, it was a Faint Presence that I didn’t notice at all until it touched me from right behind.
The blurry, pale facial features that suddenly popped out looked exactly like the Dolls.
A look so devoid of individuality that it was hard to even distinguish whether it was Ladam or Ever.
To borrow Ms. Kali’s expression a little, it was a figure that seemed to be draped in death. At least, that was how it would look to ravers.
“…!”
Prezen de Se Meredith was right in front of my eyes. It was a face I never imagined I would encounter here.
“Welcome. We meet again, Mr. Aaron Nakamura.”
For some reason, seeing him remember my name and strike up a conversation gave me goosebumps.
Was it because I had heard about the Mirror Castle’s control artificial intelligence with the same name just a few minutes ago? I had the illusion that those neat mechanical eyes were thoroughly scrutinizing and dissecting me.
“…Welcome. I didn’t expect to see you here, Lord Prezen. Weren’t you in the exhibition room?”
“That would certainly suit my constitution better, but…unfortunately, the situation has made that impossible. I couldn’t just stay still and die, so I evacuated first.”
It was a casual demeanor, as if getting here despite the chaos outside was a piece of cake.
Then again, since he was a Meredith Family member, it would make sense if he had used a secret passageway or something to get here…
“Then did you come all the way here alone? You didn’t move together with the other Meredith People?”
At my question, Prezen Meredith smiled.
“Yes. I do not have a close relationship with the family members. I felt I would only be a hindrance.”
It was a somewhat uncomfortable smile.
Especially when he mentioned the “family members”, I felt a certain chilling aura, though it might have just been my imagination.
“Then you must have no way to contact the other Meredith Family Members? Or even a guess as to where they might be―.”
“Yes. I do not really know.”
“Do you happen to know how the suppression of the terrorists inside the Mirror Castle is going?”
“I do not really know about that either.”
Damn it. He was an unhelpful Raver in many ways.
It was hard to read his blurry expression, so I couldn’t tell if he was doing this on purpose to mess with me, or if he was just genuinely answering my questions.
“Come to think of it, is the exhibition room okay? The paintings shouldn’t get damaged by the terrorism.”
It was a remark I threw out after remembering that the other party was the artist who had personally painted every picture in the exhibition room.
I had blurted it out without much thought, but Prezen Meredith showed emotion on his face for the first time since we met, a hint of surprise and gladness.
“As expected…”
“Pardon?”
“It is nothing. The paintings are safe. Absolutely, the terrorists will not be able to defile the exhibition room, no matter what happens.”
Unlike his previous sluggish tone, he delivered a resolute answer full of conviction. However, I was a bit skeptical.
Seeing him speak to that extent, it seemed he had paid a lot of attention to the exhibition room defense, but wasn’t it possible that the chrome monster Rodrick Smith could attack the exhibition room on a one-in-a-million chance?
If that happened, it would be close to impossible to stop him, no matter how thoroughly they had prepared.
For a moment, I wondered what kind of reaction that utterly suspicious Raver would show if such a thing happened.
Did he somehow realize that I was having a sinister imagination? Prezen Meredith suddenly looked straight into my eyes with his shining mechanical lenses and spoke.
“I have a proposal, Mr. Aaron Nakamura.”
“A proposal?”
“It is a proposal conveyed in the name of Meredith. It will not be a disadvantageous matter for you. Please listen to it first.”
It was a proposal that popped out of nowhere, but the explanation that followed was specific and plausible.
It seemed he had come all the way to the landing pad just to convey this proposal from the beginning.
It seemed that Prezen Meredith, whom I had only thought of as an idler artist of a noble family, actually held quite an important position.
For an ordinary artist, he did give off a strong impression of hiding something.
After hearing everything, I ended up nodding my head.
Suspiciousness aside, it was clear that this was the third option we had been looking for.
I needed to talk about this.
“I do not have the authority to decide. I think I will have to discuss it with the others. Could you perhaps explain it in front of Young Lady Alexandra one more time?”
Prezen Meredith readily agreed.
* * *
“So…you are saying you will let us out of the Mirror Castle.”
“Yes. Provided that you promise to let just one person escape with you, and protect that person’s safety under the name of the Schneider Family thereafter.”
When I first heard Prezen Meredith’s proposal, I thought Prezen’s own name would pop out when I asked for the identity of that “one person”.
It didn’t.
This wasn’t Prezen Meredith’s arbitrary decision but a proposal from the Meredith Family, and its scale was beyond imagination.
“That one person is the Meredith Family Head, a Raver currently called Elaine Rinar Baquere Meredith. You may consider this an unofficial Asylum Application sent by the Meredith Family Head to Schneider.”
An Asylum Application from none other than the Meredith Family Head!
This was a Family vs. Family matter taking place in the world of nobles.
Not just I, but neither Young Lady Alexandra nor Team Leader Hank would have the Authority to decide on this hastily.
But a decision had to be made.
What did it mean for the Meredith Family Head to entrust their safety to the visitors?
Didn’t it mean that the situation was so serious that they had no other choice!
No matter if three terrorist groups had formed an alliance, the Meredith Family was a Dusk upper levels noble family, and the Mirror Castle was their territory where their troops were stationed.
That was why I had harbored an Optimistic Prediction that the terrorism would eventually face suppression…but the situation might be the exact opposite of what I had thought.
What on earth was Meredith thinking, beggar
Did they think that if they could just catch the hidden Phantom Thief Zodiac and regain the control authority of the Prototype Artificial Intelligence, they could easily defeat the terrorists?
But was it even possible to find the elusive Phantom Thief Zodiac, who was even using the Mirror Castle’s facilities as he pleased?
Wait, more than that, if they really thought Phantom Thief Zodiac was hiding among the Visitors, and if this was a grave crisis where the Prototype was absolutely necessary…
For a moment, an “extreme choice” they might make flashed through my mind. Could it be?
“I have something I want to ask about the proposal.”
While my thoughts were getting complicated, Team Leader Hank spoke up.
“I would like to hear a more detailed explanation of the stance, especially regarding the means of escape. You mentioned there was a hidden emergency escape pod that only the direct family members could use…Phantom Thief Zodiac made a similar remark.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. And Phantom Thief Zodiac said that the pod is controlled by a specific artificial intelligence over which he holds authority. If that is true, then this proposal cannot be established, can it?”
It was a sharp point. If Phantom Thief Zodiac was in a state of controlling the escape pod, it was ultimately a meaningless proposal.
Just what kind of solution had the Meredith Family prepared?
Prezen Meredith spoke dryly, without any change in expression.
“It is true that Phantom Thief Zodiac stole the control Authority of the Prototype Artificial Intelligence.”
“…!”
It was quite a shocking remark, delivered so quietly, as if it were no big deal.
Although it was a fact that everyone had guessed to some extent, wasn’t it a different matter entirely for a Meredith Family member to directly admit it with his or her own mouth?
“However, that is strictly a very small part, not the whole. The family did not leave such an important asset to be easily taken without any safety mechanism.”
The Mirror Castle is still under Meredith’s control. All Phantom Thief Zodiac can do is to occasionally dig into the gaps and cause an anomalous phenomenon.”
His tone was slow, like reading from a textbook. Rather than speaking his own thoughts, he seemed to be laying out content he had already memorized.
If Prezen Meredith’s words were true, all Phantom Thief Zodiac could do was cause an occasional “anomalous phenomenon” in the Mirror Castle.
The hologram speech from just now would also belong to that anomalous phenomenon.
Seeing that Phantom Thief Zodiac, who had boasted about having the control Authority of the Prototype Artificial Intelligence, ultimately failed to finish his speech and the hologram disappeared midway, and that the Dolls were still following only the Meredith Family’s orders steadfastly, it didn’t seem completely wrong.
It was clear that Phantom Thief Zodiac did not fully possess the command authority.
However, the problem was how much that part was. The Meredith Family claimed it was a very small part, but if it was at a level that could be dismissed like that, there would be no reason for them to go to such unreasonable lengths to find Zodiac and attempt the recovery of the authority, would there?
“Even if it is indeed a very small part, and causing an anomalous phenomenon is all he can do…”
What if, at the exact moment we board the escape pod and try to get out of the Mirror Castle, Phantom Thief Zodiac causes that anomalous phenomenon and the shuttle becomes a useless object?
Wasn’t it a realistic enough story to not just be dismissed as a mere possibility?
There were already plenty of things to worry about just with this, but there was even another problem that had to be addressed.
Team Leader Hank asked.
“I will ask just one more thing.”
“Please ask.”
“Why us?”
Why were they handing this proposal to us, of all people?
Why did the Meredith Family choose Schneider?