"Respected Miss Saria, at first, I thought your purpose here was to make sure we kept our mouths shut."
"…What do you mean by that?"
"Think carefully. Could a mere Hayden Pharmaceuticals really have the means to possess such an advanced laboratory?"
"That's exactly why I came—to uncover the truth."
"…It seems the rumors of fierce internal power struggles within Rhine Lab are true after all."
The detective, calling himself 'Tin Man,' handed over a long-prepared file folder to Saria.
"Please, take a look."
On the cover were four large characters—
Diablo Project.
---
That night, Mobius quietly entered Ifrit's hospital room.
In the pitch darkness, she placed her hand gently on the sleeping girl's head.
Ifrit's body began to twitch violently, yet she never woke.
Her temperature was steadily rising.
Can't let her trigger the alarm.
Mobius used the Originium Arts of this body—Illusion—to keep the sensors from detecting abnormal conditions, all while intensifying her focus.
Her will condensed into a slender black serpent—thin as a finger, long as an arm—and slipped into Ifrit's mind.
Deep within her consciousness lay countless fractured images—shards of memory and fleeting thoughts.
Mobius sifted through them with increasing urgency.
Most of this body's willpower had been allocated to controlling the clones, leaving her current abilities weakened. That meant it wasn't easy to locate the Diablo fragments in one go.
Mobius may be scary, but according to Saria, her harshness is actually meant to help me grow, so that I can live a better life in the future. Next time… maybe I should give her a piece of candy~
The black serpent passed one such memory shard.
…Not the Diablo fragment.
It slithered toward another shard.
I overheard some white coats saying that Mobius is actually married to Saria—unbelievable! How could gentle, caring Saria possibly be with a stiff, severe, borderline crazy woman like Mobius? I'll have to find a chance to ask Saria about it next time.
Still nothing. The serpent moved on to yet another fragment.
Time was running short. In the physical world, the air temperature was climbing—soon, the Rhine Lab alarm systems would activate.
I need to speed this up…
Her control over the [Illusion] on the alarm system was growing weaker.
Next time I see this guy… maybe I should try hugging her. Hm, Dr. Silence said hugs can show closeness to someone…
Well… maybe she can barely count as close? Forget it, she's too scary. If I can manage a handshake, I'll call that a win.
---
The black serpent finally found the Diablo fragment.
It bared its fangs and bit down hard.
Ifrit's body temperature began to return to normal.
But the fragment was not about to sit idly by.
It flared with heat, searing the black serpent.
Ouch…
The pain was slight—like a Sarkaz brute having a fingertip singed by a tiny flame—but it was enough to be felt.
Still, the serpent refused to release its grip, holding on to the fragment's lingering memories.
Bit by bit, in their tense deadlock, the memories were swallowed into the serpent's belly.
Tastes good.
To Mobius, consciousness and memory were the finest delicacies, nourishing and strengthening her.
But she ate with restraint.
For her, digestion mattered far more than mere feeding—after all, residual memories and emotions could influence her own being.
---
Mobius lifted her hand from Ifrit's forehead.
She hadn't removed the Diablo fragment's power—this body was incapable of doing so.
The serpent could only destroy the fragment's will; Mobius could only weave illusions.
She silently watched the girl's peaceful sleeping face once more.
A body imbued with the Diablo's power was a tempting prize—but possessing the body of a Sarkaz came with complications.
They had a[Demon King].
Mobius would have to first sever the body's link to the Sarkaz collective consciousness before taking control, and during that process risk drawing the eyes of both the [Demon King] and the [Sarkaz Royal Court].
Besides… this little one, though bratty, is oddly likable.
Mobius turned away from the bed.
I'll wait until she grows… until she fully masters the Diablo's power. Then I'll decide.
Just as Mobius had said before—
My mind changes often.
Lacking any definite answer, she had little attachment to matters outside her own existence.
Meanwhile, the monitoring room screens showed only a girl who had slept soundly through the entire night.
---
I must save Ifrit.
Thanks to Mobius "forgetting" to turn off her computer, Dr. Silence had discovered the Diablo Project.
Alone, she walked to Director Parvis's office.
"I've made up my mind, Teacher," Silence said solemnly.
"I've already poured so much of my heart into this. I want to see the final result."
Ifrit, I will save you.
Parvis smiled in satisfaction.
"I'm glad you've come to understand, Silence."
"From today, you are the chief overseer of Ifrit's treatment plan."
Why did Saria sign off on the weapon approval plan? And why did she warn me not to reveal this to the outside world?
Why didn't Mobius tell me about the Diablo Project?
...Could it be that they don't care about Ifrit at all?
Or is it that, for the sake of science, they're willing to sacrifice anything?
In the end, the only one who can save that child… is me.
---
"Saria~ You seem to be in a bad mood."
"Don't play dumb, Mobius. How much do you really know about the Diablo Project?"
"Hmm… let's see~ I'd say I know almost everything~"
"...Looks like I misjudged you before."
"Oh, don't be so angry, Saria~ I'm just a humble consultant, nothing like you all-powerful directors… But you do want to save that child, don't you?"
"...Yes."
"I don't understand you. Why do you care so much about her? She's just a critical-stage Infected with only a few years to live at best. If the experiment succeeds, Rhine Lab's standing in Columbia will soar. Isn't Rhine Lab your pride and life's work?"
"Rhine Lab has already forgotten its original purpose. The advancement of technology should never be built on the violation of terran ethics."
"What a dazzling ideal! I'm truly moved—so much so that I've decided to help you!"
"...Mobius, I suggest you stop trying to provoke me."
"I'm being serious~ But I suppose no matter what I say right now, you won't believe me. Still, I have my own ideas~"
"...Mobius, you really are insufferable."
"Haha! That's exactly what that Liberi said to me too~ You two are surprisingly in sync~ Well then, I'll take my leave. Bye-bye~"
---
"Dr. Mobius, you're no longer in charge of the project."
"...?"
"My student has made up her mind. Once the experiment is over—regardless of success or failure—I'll hand over the technology we agreed upon."
"Fine."
"You're actually willing to trust silence?"
"..."
"Even with my ability to read minds, I'll never understand you people."