Chapter 94: I’ve made up my mind.
"Oh, Happy day…"
Humming to himself, Lewis operated the terminal before him. It was a massive machine with multiple monitors attached to it and a number of capsules linked to the surroundings. Within the capsules floated a culture medium and a human brain.
The monitor was displaying a series of numbers. He was sitting on the floor cross-legged, manipulating the keys without even bothering to look at them.
"Master Lewis."
There, the door to the miscellaneous, dimly lit room opened, and a voice called out. The lion-headed Nightmare… the Jabberwock, dressed in a black suit, entered the room and Lewis went on, humming to himself and not even glancing back.
"The Duchess has been slain. Her core, too, is likely unrecoverable."
Upon hearing this, Lewis stopped humming and his hands ceased their movement. Then he turned his head to stare at the Jabberwock.
"… So what?"
The Jabberwock, when questioned, was at a loss for words briefly, then regained his composure and said. "The Duchess… told me that Alice had killed her."
"…"
Sighing, Lewis shifted his attention back to the monitor.
Then while operating multiple keyboards, he remarked. "I thought there was something interesting to be reported. Is that the only thing…"
"The only thing…?"
Cold sweat broke out on the Jabberwock's cheeks. He remained silent for a while, then uttered in a low voice.
"My ally has been killed."
"Right," Lewis replied, seemingly unconcerned, and then said again. "… That's why I asked you 'So what?', and you still haven't answered that question."
"I don't… understand what you mean…"
The Jabberwock clasped his hands and squeezed them together. Lewis sighed deeply again and stopped. He turned his body around and faced the Jabberwock.
"How tedious. You Nightmares are such bores. The Duchess is dead? Now that she's dead, what do you want? Don't you have a will of your own? Is your will even there?"
The question made no sense. But when the Jabberwock heard that, he paused a beat and widened his eyes. He stumbled back, holding his head with one hand.
"Eh…"
Lewis laughed and clapped his hands in amusement when he muttered as if he was reminded of something.
"Yeah, yeah! That's the look! Let me see more of that kind of face!"
"Master Lewis…? You are…"
The Jabberwock was about to mention that much, but then he got a headache, gritted his teeth and clutched his head with both hands.
"I-I am… I… I am… I am…"
"Hmm…" Lewis said, slowly standing up, moving the keyboard to the side. He reached into the pocket of his white coat and approached the Jabberwock.
"Hey, 'Magical Beast'? What is it with you guys? Can you answer me? No, you answer me. What exactly are you, Nightmare?"
"P-Please… stop… my head… is about to… break… guhh!"
The Jabberwock gnashed his teeth to the point of shattering them. His nose and both eyes began to leak black blood.
"I'm… I'm… aaa .. gaga…"
"Hahahahahahahahahahaha! Is it agonizing? You're in pain, aren't you? Is your head about to explode? Isn't that right? Today, tomorrow, and the day after that! It's HAPPY DAY forever! I feel so, so good!"
"Aaaaahhhhhh…!"
Lewis patted the Jabberwock on the shoulder as he sank to his knees and looked up at the heaven screaming inaudibly, before whispering softly into his ear.
"I'll enlighten you while I'm in a good mood. You guys who are the 'bugs'."
Lewis looked through the door. There were a few shadows there, writhing and suffering just like the Jabberwock. He spread his hands and said with a crooked smile.
"You guys are 'bugs'! You are the collective hatred of the scum that has accumulated in this Labyrinth program. You guys have no entity. All you creatures are sheer hatred, and you 'don't even exist'! Oh, how wonderful…"
While walking around enraptured, Lewis clapped his hands and burst into laughter.
"The human being achieves happiness, abandons misery, and heals wounds. The Labyrinth program is no exception since it was created that way in the first place! Then why not accumulate that hatred…? I figured so! That's how I thought! I want to see what hatred looks like, that's what I thought!"
Turning back to the suffering Nightmares, he produced an artificial smile laugh.
"That's who you guys are. Ejected bugs, a mass of buggy hatred, and will! There is no significance to your existence! You're the ones who shouldn't exist! Do you understand? Don't you get it? Can you not comprehend!"
Lewis crouched down beside the cowering Jabberwock and whispered, his mouth hanging open as if it would tear.
"After all, I'm the one who programmed it that way…!"
"…!"
Trembling, with eyes brimming from fear, the Jabberwock stared up at Lewis. Smiling at him, Lewis shouted out.
"Well, who's next! I'll give my 'raison d'etre' to the trash who wins spectacularly!"
◇
She can hear the sound of sleep breathing. Alice opened her left eye and looked at Philrain, who was asleep in the chair next to her.
Then she quietly got up and staggered out, dragging the IV stand with her. She stopped in a corner of the hospital wing where the lights were flickering. Jack was seated there with his back arched. The damage done by the Duchess was still intact.
"… Jack, are you awake?" She called out in a small voice. The armored Nightmare slowly lifted his head and answered in a quiet voice.
"I'm awake. Alice. Come here."
"Yes."
Alice nodded and gently leaned over so that Jack could sit down. Jack hugged her in his armored arms.
"It's still not healed…?"
"I'm fine. In a few more hours, this amount will be healed."
"That's… good."
"Raffi is out scouting the area. I hope there's no danger…"
"Yeah…"
Alice pulled Jack into her arms and drew in a small breath.
"Jack…" Alice, who had been silent in that position for quite some time, abruptly spoke up.
Jack replied in a composed tone. "… What's wrong?"
"I've made up my mind."
"…"
Jack reflexively tried to speak, but stopped himself and kept his mouth shut.
Alice held Jack's arm and announced in a hushed voice.
"I'm going to use Raffi's administrative privileges to access the 'outside'."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone