Side Story - Chapter 08.3 (Main Story 10.083) "Cracking Paradise (Proliferation of Glitches)"
The sound of seabirds' wings and cries echoing by the pillow was marking an unnaturally precise loop. The moment I noticed that discomfort‚ my consciousness (resolution) slowly rose from the dark depths.
When I pushed up my heavy eyelids‚ what covered my field of vision was the usual desaturated ceiling.
But this morning's grayscale had something decisively wrong with it.
（……What is this poor rendering quality?）
Every time I moved my gaze‚ the beams in the corner of the room degraded into crude‚ jerky polygons‚ and the soot on the walls scattered white noise like an old television's static.
Ignoring the unpleasant dizziness (error)‚ I went downstairs‚ and the scene that should have symbolized my "place to return to (initial coordinates)" was distorted and spread out.
「……Good morning‚ Mom」
A flat voice‚ as if the audio parameters had been throttled‚ was output from my lips.
The node called 'Mom‚' who was preparing breakfast‚ turned around with a stiff‚ unnatural motion.
"Good morning‚ Louie. ……You look a bit pale. Didn't you sleep well last ni……ght……?"
「Huh……?」
「Come on‚ you mustn't overdo it‚ Lou■. Drink this warm soup and get pro……[Character code error]……」
Sudden intense digital noise mixed into the warm audio data that should have been showing concern for me.
Mom's face—the expression I once believed was the gentlest in the world—turned into a mosaic of rectangular blocks every time she spoke‚ violently rejecting my recognition.
Driven by impatience‚ I knocked on the deepest part of the memory directory. But all that returned was a merciless system log.
[ Warning: Communication path to return coordinate 'Inn Adel' is 87% damaged ―― ]
[ Rendering error: Failed to restore image data. Substituting the target as a 'low-resolution object' ―― ]
（……No way. Even Mom's face is being treated as nothing but 'garbage data'）
The bottom of my stomach froze to absolute zero.
But before that despair could become an instinctive scream and shake my throat — exactly after a 0.5-second lag — a cold patch dominated my brain.
[ Process: Judging the target's panic as a temporary bug. Forcibly overwriting with 'peace (silence)' ]
「……Louie? You're spacing out. Here‚ eat it before it gets cold」
In the forcibly loaded silence‚ Mom's outline stabilized again as a crude-edged polygon.
I mechanically brought the honey bread she offered to my mouth and chewed it.
At the edge of my visual field‚ the tag "golden luster (specular)" flickered in vain‚ but what my tongue accepted was nothing more than a dry 'sand texture' that sucked up all my saliva.
[ Situation analysis: Pseudo-complementing 'honey sweetness' from past archives…… Failed ―― ]
Only the inorganic sound of chewing sand echoed lonely inside my skull.
Just as I tried to forcefully push it down my throat‚ it happened.
The door behind me was violently opened.
No‚ it wasn't a physical phenomenon like "being opened." The space itself‚ centered on her‚ was overwritten (overridden) in an instant into dazzlingly ultra-high resolution (high-res).
"Louie-kun‚ found you. ……You're staring at garbage (breakfast) that's not me again‚ aren't you?"
When I turned around‚ in the low-polygon background that had lost all color‚ only the silver-haired saintess stood towering there.
Only the 'vermilion (Red)' of her lips and the fingertips approaching me glowed so vividly it seemed they would burn my retinas in the gray world.
"Good morning‚ Serina. ……Only around you is the texture resolution abnormal. Are you aware that you're monopolizing (hacking) the environmental resources (spatial mana) all by yourself?"
"Fufu‚ of course? In Louie-kun's field of vision‚ only the 'truth' that is me needs to be reflected."
Serina circled in front of me and gently enveloped both my cheeks with her hands‚ as if physically blocking the gray scenery.
The soft heat source of 36.5 degrees Celsius transmitted directly to my skin.
My system simply processed that restraint‚ which I should have shaken off‚ as a mere 'interlock confirmation.'
[ Contact confirmed: Both cheeks. Thermal conductivity: Normal ―― ]
[ ―― Exactly 0.5-second delay ―― ]
[ Process: Post-approval of focus lock on target 'Serina.' Forcibly loading dependency data (absolute sense of security) ]
「……Ah‚ I'm so happy. ……Thanks for the meal‚ Mom. I'm off to school.」
A voice with formatted emotions was inorganicly thrown toward the low-polygon mother.
Every time we stood up and walked toward the main gate‚ the inn behind us silently peeled away like an old movie film burning out.
"Yes‚ let's go‚ Louie-kun. We must eliminate the impurities (noise) that disturb our peace‚ one by one today as well."
The human-like trembling had already disappeared from my right arm‚ which Serina was pulling.
I quietly watched the former 'place to return to' crumbling little by little from my feet‚ within a 0.5-second delayed sense of happiness‚ and stepped firmly on the inorganic cobblestones.
As we passed through the academy's corridor‚ the dry sound of footsteps on the cobblestones drew an ominous waveform on my retinal UI.
Click‚ click‚ click.
[ Audio decoding: Hard impact sound (heels) ―― Identified: Catherine Belmond ]
From the depths of the gray field of vision‚ a female bureaucrat wearing under-rim glasses with a cold glint approached with flawless movements.
In her hand‚ a thick leather file engraved with the royal crest was gripped tightly.
"Good morning‚ Louie Adel. ……And Duchess of Elferia. Working hard on 'asset preservation' from the morning‚ I see."
Catherine's gaze glanced at Serina's 'vermilion' wrapped around my right arm‚ then immediately locked onto my chest.
「……Catherine. That designation (parameter) is physically damaging my human dignity by about 0.2%. ……Is this a new 'overtime' import (task addition)?"
"No. Today it's a more clerical and irreversible notice."
Catherine snapped open the file and thrust a sheet of parchment in front of me.
[ Warning: National top-secret protocol 'Final Assessment Report' detected ―― ]
『 Target Name: Louie Adel ―― National Value: SSS (Strategic-Class Asset) / Protection Priority: Special Grade (Final Isolation Target) 』
The moment I saw the merciless strings lined up‚ the grit of sand accumulated in my throat intensified.
Catherine pushed up the bridge of her glasses with her fingertip and announced in a completely flat tone.
"Louie Adel. The Royal Audit Bureau has determined that your 'optimization ability' is far too dangerous for personal ownership. From now on‚ you will be isolated and requisitioned as a 'national strategic resource' to a facility under direct royal control."
「……Rejected.」
A voice like rolling bells‚ yet carrying absolute-zero killing intent‚ rang out beside me.
While tightly hugging my arm‚ Serina took out her 'self-made assessment report' from her bag and slammed it roughly on top of Catherine's file.
"Calling my Louie-kun's evaluation 'SSS' is far too low-resolution (low-polygon). Rewrite it immediately."
『 Target Name: Louie-kun ―― Cuteness: ∞ / Necessity: ∞ / Mine Degree: ∞ (Exclusive Confirmed) 』
The two abnormal evaluation criteria (parameters) sparked violently at my chest.
「……Duchess. This is the supreme decision of the state. It cannot be overridden (overridden) by personal emotions (bias).」
"No‚ it can. The authority (resources) of Elferia is far more 'physical' than you imagine. ……Right‚ Louie-kun? What do you think of what this woman is saying?"
Serina's blue eyes narrowed seductively‚ as if peering into my depths (root).
「……Both assessments (data) are the same kind of error (error) within a 0.01% margin in that they do not count me as a 'human.' ……Will my main process of wanting to return to my family's inn be ignored?"
The legitimate protest I spun in a flat voice purged of emotion was instantly trampled simultaneously by the two women without the slightest delay.
"Rejected."
"Rejected."
Perfect synchronization (synchro).
I heard the sound of my hope (main process) being filled in with thick concrete by the complete agreement of the public cage and the private cage.
「……Louie Adel. First‚ we will perform current status preservation as an 'asset.' This is provisional registration in the national management ledger."
Catherine touched my chest with her cold fingertips.
There was not a shred of emotional contact. With bureaucratic hand movements‚ she pressed the coordinates of my heart over my shirt‚ mechanically engraving a pale blue magic code there.
[ Warning: Detected forced installation of 'Royal Direct Control - Strategic Resource Identification Tag' on the chest ―― ]
「……The magic pulse is completely stable. A perfect 'empty box' with no fluctuations of a living body."
"Hey. Don't arbitrarily dirty my Louie-kun's 'surface texture‚' okay?"
Serina flicked Catherine's hand away in annoyance.
Then‚ as if to override the blue mark engraved on my chest‚ she slid her heated fingertips deep under my shirt.
[ Warning: Physical interference (access conflict) by multiple administrators detected. Surface temperature rise due to friction heat detected ―― ]
[ ―― Exactly 0.5-second delay ―― ]
[ Process: Detected conflict (conflict) by multiple administrators. Forcibly converting overload error into 'pleasure (reward data)'…… Completed ]
「……Ah‚ ……ah」
A tug-of-war over ownership of one "asset" by two women.
The coldly engraved national management tag and the private passion trying to burn it away.
That contradictory input (error) filled my brain‚ which should have had emotions stripped away‚ with violently rewarding data. Only noise that failed audio synthesis spilled sloppily from my lips.
「……Understood‚ Duchess. I judge that taking him to the palace immediately would be inefficient due to your resistance."
Catherine suddenly withdrew‚ adjusting the bridge of her glasses.
"However— we shall agree only on the condition that 'this academy itself is designated as a special surveillance zone under direct royal control‚ preventing him from going outside.' Releasing a threat like him into the wild would be the worst error for both the nation and you."
「……Fufu. That was quick‚ I'm glad. Yes‚ let's transition this academy (box) into a more robust 'final isolation phase.' ……Louie-kun. Isn't it great? All escape routes have completely disappeared."
Serina buried her face in the nape of my neck and let out a victorious‚ endlessly deep sigh filled with delight.
[ Surveillance log: Approval of fusion (merge) between private cage and public cage ―― ]
[ Public lockdown of return routes confirmed. Completely blocked the target's escape routes to the outside world ]
[ Cage completion rate: ■■■■■■■■■□ 87% ]
The "peace" I longed for had been irreversibly system-locked in the worst possible form — through the complete agreement of the two administrators.
Having signed an irreversible contract of fusing the dual cages‚ with my emotional waveforms completely flattened‚ I walked through the academy corridor pulled along by Serina.
My field of vision remained desaturated gray‚ but only the auxiliary lines (grid) drawn by the retinal UI were cutting through the space with unnatural clarity.
"Fufu‚ Louie-kun. Look at this mirror. It's polished so beautifully."
Serina stopped in front of a huge silver-framed decorative mirror placed in the corner of the corridor.
If it had been before‚ my self-esteem would have evaporated by about 10% from the contrast between the duchess's overwhelming beauty and my plain self.
But the moment I recognized the image (data) reflected there‚ my logical operation circuits rang alarm (alert) bells with unprecedented intensity.
[ Warning: Fatal inconsistency detected in object rendering on the reflective surface ―― ]
What was reflected in the mirror was not the familiar boy with messy hair.
There was a "geometric box" with a see-through interior‚ composed only of pale blue wireframe outlines.
Where the face should be‚ an inorganic graph showing emotional trends scrolled at high speed‚ and deep in the pupils was affixed the cold index 'DESIGNATION: NULL (Empty Box).'
「……Serina. Is this a mirror bug? My surface texture has peeled off‚ and the internal structure (wireframe) is completely exposed."
"What are you saying? The Louie-kun in the mirror is so adorable and 'perfect' too."
Serina lovingly traced the wireframe cheek of me through the mirror.
Only she in the mirror still maintained high-resolution 'vermilion (Red)' and smiled as if cherishing my hollow self.
It was then.
『―― AAAA‚ AAAAAHH!! ――』
It was not a sound striking the eardrums directly.
An abominable noise‚ as if hammered directly into the deepest part of the brain directory‚ resounded.
It was the wail of the man who was once my best friend‚ and the birth cry of a 'Destroyer' cursing the world itself.
[ Warning: High-load data leak detected from external server (reality) ―― ]
[ Synchronization error: Mental collapse log of target 'Leon Valks' is mixing in ]
Behind me in the mirror‚ the background data composing the scene flickered violently.
The academy corridor peeled away like heat-burned film‚ and 'truth' was about to peek through the cracks.
What appeared there was the interior of a huge 'temple (cage)' with no windows‚ only cold cobblestones and magic circuits spreading everywhere.
And the figure of a man wearing armor stained dark red with blood‚ gripping a greatsword that pulsed like blood.
（……Leon?）
The blood-covered man slowly turned toward us.
For a moment‚ there was definitely a trace of my familiar best friend.
But in the next instant‚ his outline was violently eroded by red-black glitches and rewritten into a terribly cruel‚ monstrous face that did not exist in my memory directory.
（……No. Who is that?）
An unfamiliar red-black face.
However‚ only the target's identification tag was mercilessly force-rendered as 'K-Y-L-E.'
The moment my logical circuits raised processing speed (clock) to the limit to analyze that fatal contradiction — it happened.
From the corner of the mirror‚ a pitch-black tailcoat that reflected no light at all silently slid out.
It was Agreas.
He was observing the 'blood-stained truth' reflected in the mirror with the cold gaze of someone watching a well-made movie.
『―― It is time to wake up‚ Master Louie. Delete the unnecessary cache called 'daily life' and reboot (reboot) as the Computation God (Empty Box) ――』
Agreas's voice resounded directly into my brain like a system message.
As if in response.
Kyle‚ who had been gripping the blood-stained sword deep in the temple‚ slowly raised his face as if he had captured my existence through the mirror.
―― Our eyes met.
In that instant.
The blood-covered man (Kyle) took a heavy step forward.
The foot that should have been blocked by the mirror surface crossed the boundary of the physical layer (UI) without any resistance.
Deep in my field of vision‚ the temple itself creaked violently‚ and bright red error logs flooded in like an avalanche.
「……Ah‚ ……Ga‚ ……ah」
Oxygen supply to the lungs completely stopped.
Just as the pain of loss could not be processed as a 'respiratory error' and raw panic was about to burst through the 0.5-second lag with brute force — it was then.
"Don't look‚ Louie-kun!!"
My eyes were forcibly covered with overwhelming strength.
Serina blocked my vision with both hands from behind and forcefully dragged me into her hot body temperature.
[ Process: Forcible intervention (interrupt) into the post-approval process ―― ]
[ ―― Exactly 0.5-second delay ―― ]
[ Process: Completely discard the phenomenon in the mirror as a 'retinal afterimage bug.' Overwrite-load Serina's embrace as 'absolute peace' ]
（……No. That wasn't a bug. For me‚ it was something fatally important――）
[ Warning: Access rights to the target directory have been revoked (deleted) ]
（……Ah. ……I see. It was just a bug after all）
Leon's wail racing through my brain was instantly painted over into white noise by a cold wave of euphoria.
The images of the 'blood-stained destroyer' and the 'windowless temple' that should have been burned into my retinas were now replaced with the inorganic gray string "Access Denied" and mercilessly thrown into the memory trash bin.
「……I'm sorry‚ Louie-kun. It seems the outside noise is still a bit loud. But it's okay‚ I'll 'debug' everything for you. ……Louie-kun only needs to look at the 'correct answer' that is me."
The fingertips covering my vision slowly moved away.
In the mirror I opened my eyes to again‚ there was no longer any 'destroyer' or shadow of the 'temple.'
Only a distorted scene was reflected: in the desaturated gray corridor‚ the saintess with her vermilion lips seductively twisted was hugging the see-through "wireframe box (me)" with maddening affection.
[ Cage completion rate: ■■■■■■■■■□ 88% ]
In the corner of the mirror.
Agreas committed my pathetic bug-handling log‚ which had failed to purge humanity‚ as a 'normal update' with the cold smile of a system administrator.
Even the bell signaling lunch now sounded flat to my ears like a degraded electronic buzzer.
I was guided to a special seat in the student cafeteria‚ which was unnaturally clean and had heavy curtains drawn to block the early summer sunlight.
In the desaturated gray world‚ only the 'vermilion (Red)' of the saintess sitting across from me continued to burn my retinas with poisonous vividness.
"Louie-kun‚ here‚ ah-n. ……Look‚ today I specially soaked honey all the way through. Make sure to savor it‚ okay?"
Serina brought a small piece of torn bread to my mouth with loving hands.
I simply opened my mouth mechanically and accepted it.
[ Chewing process: Started ―― ]
[ Analysis result: Excessive sugar content. Texture: Extremely coarse sand particles (dry sand) ―― ]
An unpleasant vibration like chewing sand echoed deep in my skull.
Normally‚ the noise of discomfort would be purged here‚ and exactly 0.5 seconds later‚ 'fake happiness' would dominate my brain.
But.
[ Fatal error: 3.0-second delay (timeout) in the post-approval process ―― ]
[ Warning: Patch application cannot keep up with the world's collapse speed ―― ]
（……!?）
The cold anesthesia dominating my brain was suddenly and violently stripped away.
Having lost the lag shield‚ raw reality struck my brain directly.
The person in front of me was not a girl lovingly nurturing a savior.
She was an 'absolute owner (owner)' who could only distort inorganic objects into her preferred shape and admire them.
What I was chewing now was not Mom's warm affection.
It was nothing but worthless remnants (garbage data) left after my humanity had been mercilessly scraped away.
「……Ah‚ Ga‚ ……AAAAHH!!」
Unprocessable panic rose from the back of my throat as a scream.
Who I was‚ why I was here.
How horrifying a cage this 'vermilion' standing beside me was.
Three seconds.
A mere three thousand milliseconds of blank space. With even my arithmetician's barriers pulverized‚ I was forced to stare directly at the inescapable despair that "my life will never belong to me again."
[ Warning: Detected fatal mental collapse due to survival instinct (bug) ―― ]
[ Emergency reboot executing ―― Forcibly overriding emotion definitions ]
「…………Ah」
My field of vision was filled with bright red error logs‚ and my consciousness whited out in an instant.
Immediately after‚ an unpleasant discharge sound like crackling echoed coldly inside my skull as the memory archives in my brain were violently rewritten.
[ Process: Redefining the target's panic as 'deep relief'…… Completed ]
Focus returned to my vision.
Before me was Serina's beautiful face with her eyebrows lowered in worry.
"Louie-kun? Your face suddenly went completely pale…… Was it too sweet?"
The violently pounding heartbeat instantly subsided like a calm sea.
The despair that had tried to burn my throat‚ the horrifying terror‚ even the fundamental question of who I was.
Everything was forcibly formatted (initialized) as 'irrecoverable bug data' and quietly sank to the bottom of absolute peace.
「……No. I'm fine. ……Ah‚ it's really sweet‚ Serina.」
I raised the corners of my mouth by fifteen degrees and output the default 'relieved smile' into the void.
Even though I was supposed to be chewing sand‚ my heart felt strangely calm.
I could no longer even remember what I had just forgotten.
"Fufu‚ good then. I'll manage all of Louie-kun's breathing for you. ……Hey‚ have another bite?"
I chewed the lump of sand (bread) offered again‚ this time without the slightest hesitation‚ looking happy.
[ Warning: Communication path to return coordinate 'Inn Adel' is 89% damaged ―― ]
[ System: Protection of the sector stopped due to insufficient resources. Changing attribute to 'pending deletion (Trash)' ―― ]
The shadow falling in the academy courtyard no longer held the shape of a boy.
Even when receiving the sound waves (data) of the chime signaling evening‚ my eardrums processed it only as a "low-quality electronic buzzer."
When I looked up at the sky‚ the background texture that should have depicted a beautiful sunset was peeling away like heat-burned film‚ exposing a vast 'absolute void (null)' on the other side of the cracks.
[ Warning: Failed to load spatial coordinate data for background objects ―― ]
[ Final process: Discard textures in all rendering areas and fix completely to 'void (null).' As an exception‚ maintain only the coordinates of 'Serina' ―― ]
（……Ah. Finally‚ the redundant variable called 'background (scenery)' has been deleted from the world）
In my brain‚ where most emotions had been purged‚ even the collapse of the world was favorably accepted as "resource optimization."
Beside me‚ the only one with clear coordinates in this void world‚ the vividly glowing 'vermilion (Red)‚' was lovingly hugging my right arm.
"Louie-kun. Look‚ it's so quiet. ……All the impurities (noise) have disappeared‚ and it has finally become the 'correct form' with just you and me."
Serina's words were written directly into my brain directory as inorganic text data.
Her slender fingertips slowly traced the back of my hand.
Normally‚ my survival instinct should have derived the solution 'escape' against that physical claim of ownership.
But my current arithmetic eye (system) had begun indexing (recognizing) the girl beside me not as a "predator" but as "the world itself."
（……There is just one more 'variable' I must confirm）
At the edge of my gray field of vision‚ I quietly called up a search query in my brain archive.
The coordinates of that promise I had once fixed as the supreme directive (main process) of my life.
『 Search query: Return coordinate 'Inn Adel' ―― 』
A computation of a fraction of a second.
What returned was a merciless string that coldly pierced my retinas.
[ Search result: No match ―― ]
[ Warning: The target's coordinate data is logically broken. The directory has been purged as invalid (Null) ―― ]
（……I see. There is no longer anywhere for me to return to）
A fatal error sound like the core of my identity shattering into pieces rang out from the depths of my chest.
The operating rate of my respiratory system dropped sharply‚ and the pain of loss tried to scorch my brain as 'overload (error)' — exactly at that moment.
[ Undefined empty area (null) detected. ……Re-searching for alternative return coordinates ]
[ Searching ―― No match (Not Found) ]
[ Searching ―― No match (Not Found) ]
[ Warning: The target's 'place to return (home directory)' has completely disappeared ]
An inorganic red error loop filled my field of vision.
Just after my trembling consciousness continued staring at those merciless strings — suddenly‚ Serina buried her face in the nape of my neck.
「……You can't go anywhere anymore‚ Louie-kun.」
The sweet‚ hot breath of the administrator who was certain of victory.
At the same time‚ the bright red error logs covering my vision were physically overwritten (overridden) by her 'vermilion (Red).'
―― Exactly a 0.5-second delay.
[ Process: Forcibly load 'perfect relief' via post-approval. Setting exception process 'Serina' as the provisional home directory ―― ]
「……Ah」
Sweet euphoria was forcefully poured into the bottom of the empty box that kept spitting out errors.
Despair was brutally rewritten‚ the corners of my mouth precisely formed a fifteen-degree angle‚ shaping a doll-like gentle smile.
「……Ah‚ that's right‚ Serina. ……My place to return to is now only beside you (here).」
The vermilion lips welcomed those words‚ spat out as flat audio data‚ with an ecstatic arc.
[ Cage completion rate: ■■■■■■■■■□ 90% ]
The long shadow stretching behind me shed the form of a savior and distorted into the outline of an empty divine statue.
At the bottom of happy silence‚ where not even the echoes of the destroyer Kyle's tremendous birth cries from the outside world could reach.
I simply abandoned my own system that kept spitting out errors and quietly‚ ever so quietly‚ sank into the depths of the cracking paradise.
Side Story - Chapter 08.3 "Cracking Paradise (Proliferation of Glitches)" End
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