[Conductor] was persuaded by [Lecturer].
"Indeed. According to Lecturer's calculations, the success rate of the [Project Durandal] is only 0.013%."
Deep down, Conductor also did not wish for Ido to shoulder such a heavy plan alone. It might seem selfish in the face of humanity's survival, but responsibility was responsibility, and emotion was emotion. There was no absolute right or wrong.
In that case, it would be better to let Ido make her own decision.
Of course, all responsibility would be borne by her.
After hearing Conductor's words, Lecturer complained resentfully:
"And another thing... this 'quantum computer' still hasn't been renamed. It shares my name. When you call it, aren't you worried about confusion?!"
"I'm still alive and well, just like the rest of you! Don't start building my grave already! I refuse to become some poker-playing robot preserved in Vill-V's memories!"
"At the very least... I don't want to become a poker-playing robot..."
"I never even got the chance to participate in any storyline events involving the Flame-Chasers! Even canned food got screen time!"
"Other people get killed and still live on the bridge... or in fan creations. But if I get killed... that's truly the end. No trace left at all..."
(That's right. It must be because the poker-playing robot is too tacky to show its face... That has to be it!)
"I want to guest at the Golden Courtyard. I want to visit the Summer Event attractions. I want to enjoy the bustling holidays of Farewell the Old and Welcome the New."
(Pure Evil: +1.)
Conductor hesitated for a moment before offering comfort.
"Mm... Lecturer, you may not know this... but every one of us—including Pure Evil—has carefully thought about why, among the personalities in the original storyline, you were the one who was sacrificed."
"And do you know the conclusion we reached? ...Lecturer, it was you. You chose to stand forward and be 'killed' in place of Pure Evil."
"Huh? It was my own decision?" Lecturer sounded genuinely surprised, though upon reflection, it made sense.
"That figures. As Vill-V's emotional persona, I tend to make decisions based on impulse. Acting irrationally would be perfectly normal for me."
Of course, this irrationality referred to decision-making rather than behavior. In action, Lecturer was actually fairly normal—at least compared to the other Vill-Vs.
Conductor continued:
"Lecturer, the [Wallfacer Project] I've laid out also requires your contribution. Vill-V needs your talents. So we will not allow you to sacrifice yourself."
It was precisely because Lecturer valued every Vill-V so deeply—even Pure Evil—while neglecting her own worth, that she had replaced Pure Evil and become the sacrificial piece used to lift Discipline.
"We are all grateful for your selflessness. Your ability may be the weakest, but your sense of responsibility surpasses even Expert's."
Lecturer truly did feel insignificant. At most, she could teach students. Many of her suggestions only slowed the rational Vill-Vs down.
Complete rationality ensured efficiency.
Lecturer's emotionally influenced decisions inevitably carried subjectivity, reducing efficiency.
She understood this very well.
That was why she believed her disappearance might actually be the most beneficial outcome for Vill-V.
Yes, it would make everyone sad. There would be less laughter.
But when Honkai descended, survival mattered most.
Conductor's tone shifted.
"Of course, that gratitude is emotional. Strategically, we do not agree with that decision. Nor is this an act of atonement by us for what the Vill-V of the original storyline experienced. It is reflection—an examination of her mistakes."
"Lecturer, you may not even realize how crucial your existence is."
"It was precisely because you were absent in the original storyline—because your talent for storytelling was missing—that Vill-V... could only choose to challenge Kevin."
"By defeating Kevin, she sought to determine whether her plans could overcome Honkai."
Lecturer nodded.
"Mm. That does sound like a dull and flavorless process..."
Conductor continued:
"But if you were there, everything would have been different. There would have been no need to use Kevin as verification."
"Believe me. No Vill-V enjoys challenging Kevin again and again—feeling that sense of despair."
Lecturer smiled faintly.
"Perhaps only Magician would enjoy that."
"Mm. Thank you, Conductor. I feel much better now."
Perhaps Lecturer had inherited Vill-V's fragility.
She had always borne confusion about the future.
That did not mean she was the most muddled of the Vill-Vs.
On the contrary—Lecturer was their guide.
Their flame.
Because she was the one who sought to open paths forward, she inevitably experienced uncertainty.
A guide was not someone like Conductor, who drafted strategies and oversaw the grand design.
A guide was the embodiment of their longing for something beautiful.
Like a lighthouse in the fog.
Like the first light of dawn in the dark.
Even Pure Evil instinctively yearned for that sliver of brightness.
While inheriting fragility, Lecturer also inherited Vill-V's resilience.
Even if all beauty vanished and the past faded away, her heart would not change easily.
When that time came, she would carry the love engraved deep within her heart, the scars etched upon her body, the stories, the joy and sorrow, and Vill-V's final resolve—
And together with the other Vill-Vs, she would make their last stand.
May that day never arrive.
It was precisely these contradictions and complex emotions that allowed Lecturer Vill-V to compose such moving chapters.
This was Lecturer.
A Vill-V willing to turn her entire life into ink and pen, to tell stories for those who would come after.
If she had survived to the end of the original storyline, she surely would have written a more beautiful tale for the Flame-Chasers.
But fate is unpredictable.
Reality is filled with regret.
Just like the thirteen unfinished ELF cards, Lecturer's life ended abruptly before they were completed.
She did not live to witness the unfinished journey of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers.
...
After hearing Conductor's words, Lecturer's heart—once heavy with worry for the future—felt lighter.
So she was not an insignificant Vill-V after all.
So the other Vill-Vs had quietly cared about her all along.
Yet at the same time, she said helplessly:
"So... after saying all that, are you going to consider renaming the 'quantum computer' or not?"
Clearly, Lecturer had not been led astray by Conductor's persuasive rhetoric.
After all, no Vill-V was a fool.