『 Several system hours ago, Morning Dew Mansion—
Sunday turned to look at the person who had arrived. "Since you have kept your appointment, learned Professor… does this mean you are willing to stand with the Family in this farce?" 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: Good grief, I think the Penacony tour should just be renamed the Backstab Tour. You backstab me, I backstab you, he backstabs me again, and you backstab him again.
〘March 7th〙: You're making my head spin.
〘Hanabi〙: Poor little peacock~
....
『 Dr. Ratio furrowed his brows slightly, asking with a strange expression, "What makes you think you can win me over?"
Sunday chuckled softly. "I have heard of this. Your relationship with Mr. Aventurine is not a pleasant one. I also know that you are a true scholar, and your pursuit of knowledge outweighs all else."
Dr. Ratio let out a cold snort and replied, "Then you should also understand that a qualified scholar knows their place and would not lose something more important for the sake of trivial dignity."
"If you agree to assist the Family, I will present our research findings on the Stellaron to you in their entirety. You should be well aware that, apart from the Family, no other faction is willing to share such knowledge." Sunday stated his bargaining chip without haste, confident that it was enough to move the scholar before him.
Dr. Ratio was silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "Tell me, what do you need me to do?" 』
『 ....』
〘Aventurine〙: An expected betrayal. Good acting, Professor.
〘Dr. Ratio〙: How can you be so sure I'm acting?
....
『 "I need Mr. Aventurine's entire plan," Sunday said decisively.
Upon hearing this, Dr. Ratio let out a cold snort. "Haven't you already confiscated his Cornerstone? A plucked peacock can't fly."
"But I have also heard that the ten elites of the Strategic Investment Department are extremely united, standing together in the face of the IPC's interests," Sunday spoke of the unity of the Stonehearts.
"You can speak more plainly." Dr. Ratio said.
Sunday turned to look at Dr. Ratio, serious. "The Cornerstone submitted by Mr. Aventurine—does it truly belong to him?"
"You suspect he would hand over someone else's Cornerstone to you? You think far too highly of the Stonehearts' unity—that thing is worth far more than their lives." Dr. Ratio's tone was mocking.
"But you also know he is a mad gambler. The more ostentatious the display, the more one must be wary."
Dr. Ratio paused upon hearing Sunday's words, his expression growing grave as he spoke, "I never thought anyone would think exactly like him. Honestly, you really should see a psychiatrist." 』
『 ....』
〘Hanabi〙: Old Swan, come out and do some work.
〘Black Swan〙: Fool, I am no psychiatrist, but if Mr. Sunday were willing to let me look at his memories, a guest appearance wouldn't be out of the question.
〘Sunday〙: That won't be necessary.
〘Aventurine〙: The Professor's tone is serious, Sunday. I recommend you take that medical advice.
〘Dr. Ratio〙: Good heavens.
〘Stelle〙: Looks like the Professor is going to need a few more plaster heads.
....
『 "Bring it here. The box storing the Cornerstone is specially made; no one but the IPC's top brass and relevant personnel can open it—but I happen to be among them."
Sunday smiled upon hearing this, walked to the conference table, and pointed to the box on it. "If you would, please."
Dr. Ratio walked to the box and opened it. "Regrettably, you guessed correctly."
Inside the box lay that yellowish-brown stone.
Seeing that stone and hearing Dr. Ratio's words, Sunday let out a soft sigh, followed by a cold snort.
"Heh, a golden stone. Its luster is identical to the radiance of Qliphoth's body."
"This is precisely the excuse he prepared to deceive you. He wouldn't tell you: the Stonehearts must carve their own Cornerstones with their own will, causing them to bloom with a unique radiance."
"And this golden stone belongs to Topaz. Its other name is Topaz—not Aventurine." 』
『 ....』
〘Hanabi〙: Here's a joke: the orthodoxy of Harmony is at the IPC.
〘March 7th〙: Even more united than the Family of Harmony.
....
『 "Well? Do you want to confront him?"—
"Not yet. I am more interested now in knowing where his own Cornerstone is."
Dr. Ratio looked at the bag on the floor. "The safest place, a place you would never think of. Because he never intended to hide it at all—from the very beginning, that Cornerstone has been in your hands."
Dr. Ratio opened the duffel bag to rummage through it, taking out a verdant green stone and placing it on the table. It was indeed the 'Aventurine.'
Sunday looked at the stone on the table, suddenly enlightened. "So that's how it is. This duffel bag… mixing a Cornerstone more precious than life itself in with a pile of cheap jewelry, disguising it as a gift waiting to be confiscated—it certainly fits that Mr. Aventurine's style."
Dr. Ratio smiled after hearing this, pointing to the duffel bag on the floor. "And then invent some random excuse, downplaying the situation, and ask you to return the gift. It's a gamble. He's all too familiar with it; he's betting that one careless move from you will result in a total loss."
"Learned Professor, thank you for your help. The Family will certainly reward the righteous." Sunday said, looking at Dr. Ratio with gratitude.
"As for the villain… may he retreat and suffer humiliation." 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: I feel like there's another layer to Aventurine's plan.
〘Aventurine〙: Oh? My friend, what makes you say that?
〘Stelle〙: I can't put my finger on it, but I have an intuition.
〘Aventurine〙: Just keep watching, friend. Sometimes betrayal can also advance a plan.
....
『 Back to the Present—
Sunday glanced at Dr. Ratio, who was standing to the side with his arms crossed, then said to Aventurine with a smile, "Thanks to you having such a discerning friend, I was able to add a complete failure to your career."
Aventurine looked at Dr. Ratio, who had betrayed him, and raged, "Ratio, you bastard…" 』
『 ....』
〘Pela〙: This is exactly what I wanted to see!
〘March 7th〙: You can tell he's really angry; he didn't even call him Professor.
〘Frederica Nikola Tesla〙: Isn't it just… how is it that the insults in your world have such low attack power?
〘Boothill〙: That's 'cause my linguistic censor got messed with, damn it!
....
『 Dr. Ratio looked away, not meeting his gaze.
Sunday watched the broken Aventurine and issued his victory declaration. "The mask has slipped, hasn't it? By the way, you only have seventeen system hours of life left. Cherish this time and savor the aftertaste of failure."
Aventurine sighed after hearing this, impatient. "You might as well speak more plainly."
"What I have performed for you just now is the baptism of Harmony. You were supposed to demonstrate loyalty under His light, but you went your own way, full of lies, turning the baptism into a judgment. I truly have no reason to undo it for you." Sunday sighed with feigned regret.
"This is what you call Harmony? …Built on imprisonment and coercion?" Aventurine mocked.
Sunday shook his head with a light chuckle. "You misunderstand, Mr. Aventurine. Punishment is reserved for the defiant, but I have seen your resilient heart, and thus I shall grant you the possibility of rebirth."
"In these seventeen system hours, you cannot leave the Dreamscape, nor can you interact with any companions. You have only two paths to take, depending on whether you can complete my trial within the agreed time."
"If you succeed, you may merge into the Chorus and be with thousands of family members; if you fail, you shall suffer the wrath of the Infinite Centurion and fall into the abyss of eternal damnation. That is why I specifically emphasized the word 'temporarily'." 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: Both of these sound pretty bad.
〘Hanabi〙: Little peacock, how did you get yourself into this?
〘Aventurine〙: Seriously, my win-win proposal was so good, and it turns out the other party is just a bird whose mental state became unstable after his sister died.
....
『 Aventurine furrowed his brows, cold sweat streaking his face, and clutched his aching head. "…Damn it, it sounds like my ending is the same either way."
"I do indeed need a servant to help me ferret out the evil lurking within the Family from the outside. And I will purge it from the inside out, apprehending the true culprit within seventeen system hours." 』
『 ....』