245 – The end of the field trip
I was confused about what to say when I faced Sharon who had regained consciousness.
If the case was all over, I’d rather just cover it up and forget about it, but the problem wasn’t completely resolved yet, so she had to point it out.
“How are you feeling?”
She gave a small nod of her head to the question of her well-being, which was thrown to start her speech.
“It’s okay. I heard you saved me. Thank you.”
It was a tone that didn’t look much different from usual, but when I looked closely, I could notice that Sharon’s complexion was slightly dark.
There were so many things I had to ask. It’s hard to say what to mention.
After a short thought, we decided to solve the case one by one in the order of the case.
“Do you have any memories of being kidnapped? What exactly happened?”
“That’s…”
Sharon, unlike her, slurred her words and couldn’t come up with an answer easily.
She didn’t rush and waited calmly.
“It’s not like I don’t have any memories at all, but they are jumbled together. Shall we say that it was hazy and unrealistic like a dream? Even now, it’s hard to be sure where and how far is reality. Sorry.”
“No. Then, since it’s okay, can you explain it as much as you can remember?”
Sharon nodded and started talking, slowly retracing her memories.
“At first she was sleeping when she suddenly heard someone whispering. It’s time to wake up. I was using the room alone, so I tried to dismiss it as just a delusion in a dream, but as time passed, I began to hear it more and more clearly.”
The fact that the reticent Sharon, who usually kept her mouth shut unless it was absolutely necessary, spoke so easily, does it mean that she is taking her current situation seriously as well?
“And when I was fully awake, there was an explosion at the window, and masked assailants broke in amidst the thick smoke. In front of them was a woman who looked exactly like me…”
Juliet and the Resistance.
Didn’t the Count act directly? Then what was the fantasy I saw?
“So you were kidnapped right away by those people? Didn’t you talk to them?”
“That woman… She called me sister I think she coerced me to ask that she be willing to cooperate now that the time has come for her cause.”
You mean you originally tried to solve the situation through dialogue?
I was lost in many thoughts as I put unexpected information into my head.
Juliet clearly established her purpose as revenge. I don’t know her exact target, but it was certain that she was related to the collapse of the existing countries that the Count was trying to achieve by forming the Resistance.
Then, is the target of her revenge the vested interests of the country, such as the royal family or the aristocracy?
I think we will be able to find out more about this only when we get more information, so let’s move on.
For now, let’s focus on the title Juliet used to refer to Sharon, the expression sister.
The count pointed to the two people and said that they were artificial creatures created by magic engineering for a specific purpose, in other words, beings like homunculus.
Thinking about those words, the memories of the past come to my mind faintly.
At the time I visited the Magic Engineering Society and met the operator, the guide who guided me through the society felt a bit different from an ordinary human being. So I asked the operator if the guide was an android and he replied:
‘Android? If you mean a robot, it’s similar, but different. They’re more like golems, so to speak.’
A creature similar to an android and close to a golem, in other words, a creature created with the power of magic and science.
When I think about it now, that was the homunculus, so why didn’t I realize it then?
Anyway, if these girls are really homunculus as the Count said, does Sharon really know about that fact?
Is she or is she living her life without knowing anything, thinking that she is a human being?
For now, Juliet must have noticed her true identity.
In the first place, she must have been the only source of information that the Count would know about, as she is one of her subordinates, and since she refers to Sharon as her sister, it must mean that she clearly knows her background.
“What did you say?”
“I’ve never seen anyone like you, so I told you to get out of the way. The other person didn’t even pretend to hear.”
Sharon frowned slightly as she recalled her memories, perhaps making her feel uncomfortable.
“After that, he continued to say incomprehensible words, and I just fainted because I didn’t understand. That’s all I remember.”
“Unknown words…? Do you remember what it was about specifically?”
Perhaps it contains the decisive clue I want.
She didn’t expect much because of her earlier remark that her memory was vague like a dream, but she calmly waited for her answer just in case.
“Hmm. Is it time for her father to return? Shall we go see our father together? I think it was something like this.”
“Father…”
It was not difficult to guess who Juliet called her father.
Dr. Franken. Eventually, she returned to that name again.
When you dig into any question to the end, his name is always behind it.
In the end, the only way to find a fundamental answer is to find Franken and meet him in person.
But I have no way of knowing where he is. Didn’t even the operator, vice president of the Magic Engineering Society, say he didn’t know where Franken had disappeared?
If this is such an enigmatic figure, no one in the world knows his whereabouts.
···No, come to think of it, there must be at least one.
The fact that Juliet asked Sharon to go see her father means that at least she has some information about him.
Her problem is that she, too, has gone into hiding because she’s being chased by the Frankish royal family.
You have to somehow find her Juliet and get her clues about her Franken through her.
To be honest, I don’t know if she will willingly cooperate with me just because I met her, but I can worry about that later, so I’ll have to start thinking about how to find Juliet right now.
And the story with Sharon must come to an end.
I’ve heard all the information I needed to hear about the kidnapping. Now there is only one question left.
Is Sharon really aware of her true identity like her Juliet?
But I was at a loss as to what to say about this.
You can’t just point your finger and ask if it’s true that you’re not human, and ask what your true identity is.
“Sharon. This may sound a little out of the blue, but I have a very important question, can you answer it?”
“Tell me.”
“…I want you to tell me about your childhood. As long ago as possible.”
If it is really a homunculus she was created, if it is not an illusion that the traces of her childhood, which is a question I came up with during my investigation, are clear.
If you pay close attention to how Sharon answers this question, you will be able to uncover her true identity.
In my heart, on the one hand, I hoped that you would answer casually. I wanted her to share the trivial memories of her childhood, no different from any other ordinary girl.
But Sharon couldn’t open her mouth easily. Unlike before, when she waited a little bit, the answer came out quickly, but even after a long time, she kept her head down and shut her mouth.
After she had already decided that was enough of an answer for her, she tried to pick up the question.
This was just to get information about her, not to bother her.
“All right. If it’s hard to say, just don’t…”
“I will tell you.”
Sharon interrupted me with a painful mutter. She lifted her head and looked at me with one eye on her.
“Instead, right now it’s really hard. Can you give me a little more time?”
“Sharon.”
Because the effortless smile was so precarious and vague.
I couldn’t say anything after calling her name.
“Because you revealed a secret to me too. I should be too. That’s how it’s fair.”
“·······.”
“It won’t take long. The school trip is all over, and now it’s time to go home.”
Like that, the moment to face Sharon’s secret was delayed a little.
“I’ll tell you when I get back. Entire.”
“…Okay.”
All that was said was over, but we spent a while staring at each other in silence.
Until the soft moonlight illuminates the dark room and surrounds us.
After the eventful school trip, where we had to spend an extra day against the plan due to the post-processing of the incident, we finally returned to our friendly hometown of London, full of soot and smog.
School trip···.
I will never go again. Never.
While gritting her teeth, she threw her exhausted body onto the bed, reassuring her desperate resolve.
It’s the weekend from tomorrow, so I’ll have to rest all day. Even the promise with Sharon is impossible right now.
It’s the same for me, but it’s time for Sharon to get enough rest and recover her stamina.
When you wake up after falling into such a deep sleep.
I received a letter that made me doubt my eyes this morning.
[Notice of Seizure and Search Result of Lupin Foundation]
Aaack! Cliffhangggee-