"Sorry! We've got a lot of captives lately, and I'm running out of places to put you. Hm… Your family's Necromancy is quite intriguing, but it's a bit underwhelming. Not quite worth the effort… Well, Esther, congratulations! You, a magic-side girl, have officially joined the science side! You're under my command now!"
"…What's your goal? What do you want to use my Necromancy for? Death can't be controlled. People should face it honestly, not chase dreams of mastering life and death!"
Esther's eyes were covered by a blindfold. Her limbs were strapped to a chair, rendering her immobile.
All her talismans had been confiscated, leaving her combat ability barely above that of an ordinary girl.
"Master life and death? Oh, that's interesting! But I'm not after that. I just want to see the culmination of noble wisdom—the Pseudo-Soul. I thought it'd be high-end, but it's just consciousness coded through magecraft, like a basic data packet… Well, maybe my expectations were too high. Still, it's got some charm. For example…"
Samuel pointed his index finger forward, and a talisman formed from electricity appeared, inscribed with the Rosenthal family's core creation: the foundational sigil of the Pseudo-Soul.
"Go!"
The electric talisman shot forward as a bolt of light, attaching to Esther. Tiny currents spread to every cell in her body, transforming into a spell formula.
Click, click~
Her restraints unlocked. Esther's mind raced instinctively: "What's he doing? Should I escape? Can I escape?"
"How about a dance to Gokuraku Jodo?"
"Gokuraku Jodo? What's that? Eh?"
While Esther's mind hesitated, her body moved on its own.
"Hm~ Looks like my guess was spot-on. Though, it's all calculated…"
Through electric currents resonating with Esther's bioelectricity, Samuel manipulated her cellular and muscular responses—essentially encoding her DNA.
The Rosenthal Family's Pseudo-Soul was like pre-written code loaded into a corpse, the "computer," which then ran according to the program, akin to artificial intelligence.
"Hm, this is similar to Mental Out. Once applied, it seems to control thoughts… And this Necromancy has a communicative function, like a wire connecting non-living and living matter, tricking the soul into believing they're one, then amplifying power? It's got a hint of soul materialization."
Samuel swiftly grasped Esther's Necromancy, analyzing and categorizing its mechanics, even improving upon it.
"Stop!"
With a snap of his fingers, Esther's dancing figure froze.
She regained control of her body.
"Huff, huff~"
During the domination, she'd been exhausted but unable to even gasp for breath. Despite retaining awareness, she'd been a puppet.
"Is this… how the corpses I control feel?"
Esther thought to herself.
"You can take off the blindfold now. Otherwise, I might treat you to a bursting sausage…"
"???"
Esther tilted her head, removing the blindfold. Her pale face was etched with confusion, clearly not understanding Samuel's words.
"Hm… You don't get it? What a pure kid! A good girl like you, alone in Academy City? You'd be eaten alive. Let me protect you properly!"
At that moment, in the deepest, darkest corner of Academy City, a benevolent smile emerged.
…
"Yo~ Isn't that Esther? Hm, it's been a few days, and you're this pathetic now?"
Hishigata Mikihiko, seated in a computer chair, smirked mockingly at Esther, who trailed behind Samuel in a Japanese-style maid outfit.
"…"
Esther remained silent, saying nothing.
She was pragmatic. In this situation, keeping quiet was the best response.
Samuel wasn't sure what to do with her, so he'd made her a maid for now. Maybe pair her with Jeanne, and if he collected seven blonde maids, he could summon a dragon.
"Mr. Hishigata, is this your sister? Quite a cute appearance!"
"…Mr. Samuel, I'll take that as a compliment. What's this about? We agreed you wouldn't interfere with my experiments."
Hishigata Mikihiko's face took on a dangerous edge.
"Relax, I'm looking forward to your final results. Why would I interfere?"
Samuel chuckled lightly, his gaze sweeping over Hishigata Hirumi, submerged in formalin. He saw through the twisted Pseudo-Soul within her youthful shell.
But what did that have to do with him?
Whether their experiment succeeded or failed, it was valuable to Samuel either way.
Esther's eyes, however, were locked on Hishigata Hirumi, unable to look away.
Suddenly…
Hishigata Hirumi's closed eyes cracked open, her blood-red gaze sweeping over, as if warning Esther.
"…"
Esther turned and followed Samuel out, saying nothing…
She knew speaking was pointless, and she was still hesitating. Was the figure in that tank truly Hishigata Hirumi?
Was it used after death, or activated before?
Her family's Pseudo-Souls couldn't be used on the living, but hadn't Samuel just used it on her? So… what if it was her?
Esther considered Hirumi a friend from before her death. If that was truly Hirumi, stopping her would mean thwarting her dream of revival.
But if it wasn't… then she was enabling a monster.
"Don't think about it. Don't even try. Your job now isn't assisting researchers—you're my maid. Just focus on being a good maid! Whatever happens… that's for me, your master, to handle. All you need to worry about is pleasing me!"
Samuel paused, lifting Esther's chin, their eyes meeting.
"But…"
"He knows! He knows everything!"
Esther instantly grasped the meaning behind Samuel's actions.
"No buts… Just like your escape, I can't control all of Academy City, but I can handle my own affairs. If I dare to act, there's no problem!"
***
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