Chapter 34
An older man, completely bald and in his fifties, knelt down and started bowing repeatedly.
“Oh, oh—! God of Science…!”
“Um, excuse me— please get up…!”
“Bestow your knowledge upon this humble servant─.”
No matter how many times I tried to get him to stand up, he just stayed there, his shiny bald head glistening like a beacon. I let out a deep sigh. How on earth did it come to this?
Before I arrived here, I could never have imagined things ending up like this.
*
The Secret Scientific Society.
After I was invited to the Scholar, I immediately informed Regalia.
Upon hearing that I was invited to the Scholar, she nodded as if she expected nothing less.
“You got into Scholar? That’s great.”
“Did you already know?”
“Of course! Why do you think I sent you there? That was the whole point.”
I suspected it would be something like that, but as expected, her reason for sending me to the Superpower Society was indeed because of Scholar. I wondered how she even knew about such a small organization with fewer than ten members, but there was a good reason for that as well.
“Scholar is a group organized by various companies and governments working together. Unless you’re one of those giant corporations that represent a city, you probably wouldn’t even know that it exists.”
“… So, Scholar is funded by the boss too?”
“Of course. Is that such a surprising fact?”
Regalia, who had been running an evil organization while also donating to the Hero Association, was unsurprisingly contributing to Scholar as well.
Well, if she’s throwing down a million dollars for upkeep and a hundred billion for research, it means she has a serious cash flow. No couple of ordinary companies could casually throw that kind of money around.
“And another thing. I have yet another reason for sending you to join Scholar.”
“Something beyond the research funding?”
“If they needed money, I would have made you craft products and sell them, not send you off there. Anyway— since Scholar is backed by various companies and governments, its members are under strict protection.”
According to Regalia, members of Scholar are regarded as humanity’s future torchbearers and treated as treasures that must be protected at all costs.
If I were to get kidnapped somewhere, the government would immediately deploy all resources to rescue me, and if any company tried to snatch me, other companies and the government would step in to stop them.
Hearing this, I was amazed at Scholar’s greatness, but I couldn’t help but cock my head in confusion for a moment.
“So, they prevent companies from snatching me… but I’m already a part of Evilus, right?”
“If you’re already part of an organization, they won’t attempt to poach you. Ha-ha! It also means that other companies will help prevent you from escaping my grasp.”
Watching Regalia laugh like that, it was clear how much she wanted me firmly under her control.
‘Not that I’m planning to leave or anything…’
I couldn’t tell if it was because she was born into wealth or if she just had never seen how other researchers lived. Regalia seemed to think the amount of money and treatment she provided me with was insufficient.
Even though the reality was the complete opposite.
“You can use the research funding they provide as you please. I used to hate it when those government rats took money away from me, but now that it’s you receiving it, it feels kind of nice.”
“… Is it really okay to use the money however I want?”
“Scholar is an organization that supports those leading humanity’s future. They don’t interfere much with members’ activities. Interference would stifle creativity, or so they say. Ah— of course, you won’t be able to use that money for your evil organization activities as well.”
Regalia, usually displeased about being forced into contributing to Scholar, seemed quite happy that it was I who was now siphoning off research funds.
After all, if I, her subordinate, was skimming off money that other companies were also compelled to contribute, it must give her a feeling of victory. I nodded along, showing I understood.
“I’ll make sure to fleece every last cent from Scholar’s coffers.”
“Yes, fleece Scholar’s wallet and use the funds for your research…”
As she said that, Regalia suddenly paused, her eyes wide as she looked at me.
“… Cancel that.”
“Excuse me?”
“The permission to use the money however you want? Cancelled. Consult with me first before you touch any funds from Scholar.”
As I looked at Regalia, puzzled by this sudden change, she simply glared at me as if to remind me of my past actions.
I had nothing to say and just shrugged my shoulders.
If I can’t use it, it would just be disappointing, wouldn’t it…?
*
After finally reaching an agreement with the boss, I tried to ask for research funding from Scholar, but they said they’d explain the funding procedures and asked me to come to their headquarters.
When I questioned why they couldn’t just lend me the money without any conditions, I was retorted with a “Where would you find such a sweet deal?” I was at a loss for words.
The chairman had a reason for outright refusing my funding request. The support could be as high as a billion dollars. They weren’t just throwing money at whatever research you happen to be working on; it had to be directed toward something with a degree of persuasiveness.
This meant that even those backing Scholar weren’t just a bunch of guardian angels. After all, no giant global corporation would casually waste tens of billions on a research project they didn’t even understand.
“Welcome, Mr. Eight.”
“Yes. Nice to meet you.”
When I said I was heading to Scholar’s headquarters, it wasn’t long before a chauffeur arrived in front of the company. Considering how rare it was for anyone to know its existence or location, even Vira couldn’t accompany me.
Leaving her with a slightly disappointed expression, I hopped into the vehicle. The windows turned pitch black, completely isolating the inside from the outside world. It was the same technology I’d seen back in the Superpower Society’s chairman’s office.
“Please don’t be too surprised. The exact location is a secret even to the members, so it’s necessary.”
The driver explained this as he drove toward some unknown destination. With the windshield tinted black, I was both fascinated and curious how he could even see where he was going.
After a while, the vehicle finally came to a stop. I felt a momentary sensation as though we were moving up and down in an elevator, before the darkness enveloping the car lifted.
What revealed itself was a vast auditorium filled with machinery reminiscent of research facilities on Earth.
“Dr. Eight. Welcome.”
As soon as I stepped out of the vehicle, the chairman approached with a big, goofy smile. Seamlessly taking the baton from the driver, he immediately began leading me inside and explaining the various equipment set up around.
“That’s something we just developed…”
“Isn’t that a spatial acceleration device? A tool for controlling space-time?”
“Oh— as expected from Dr. Eight. A genius can recognize such things just by looking, huh?”
“No. I’m just familiar with them.”
“Familiar…?”
Leaving the chairman looking perplexed behind me, I began to wander around and examine the equipment. As I looked at the machines, long-forgotten nostalgia began to bubble up in my mind.
The science experiment kit my parents got me when I was young, or the laboratory tools that were kept in school labs. While they may look different, seeing equipment with similar functions was filling my head with memories.
“That wouldn’t be possible, though… Well, anyway. Let’s head inside. Another member is here today, too.”
“Another member?”
“Yes. Normally, members are holed up in their labs and seldom emerge… but this time, another doctor also came to seek research funds. Quite the coincidence, isn’t it?”
The chairman told me I didn’t have to meet the other member if I didn’t want to, but I was curious to get to know them. I wanted to see the faces of the other members and check out the level of geniuses who led the world.
When I nodded in agreement, wanting to meet them, the chairman smiled broadly and led me to another area. There stood a bald man in his fifties beside a beautiful woman dressed in a maid outfit.
“—Dr. Kuroid. This is Dr. Eight. Our eighth member of Scholar.”
“… Huh? Now you’re letting in kids like this?”
“Kids? Watch your words. Dr. Eight has made truly groundbreaking discoveries in superpower research—”
“Enough. Hey, kid. Whatever you made, I’m not particularly interested. Whatever you did, I’m the genius who—”
“—Wait, isn’t this android made from Evilus’s line of toys? Impressive. It’s genuinely beyond what I ever imagined.”
Upon my compliment, Dr. Kuroid suddenly halted and let out a short cough. It’s not easy to react sharply when someone praises you, especially when the praise is heartfelt.
And indeed, my compliment carried genuine sincerity. I turned my gaze to the lovely maid standing next to Dr. Kuroid. At first, I thought she was just an assistant, but then I connected the dots upon hearing Dr. Kuroid’s name.
“So, this is the one made from the tens of thousands of circuits interconnected…”
Just as I assumed at first glance, it truly was an astonishing creation. The idea of stitching together tens of thousands of circuits from a toy line to create a strong AI?
That’s as miraculous as linking thousands of abacuses to build a CPU or assembling a supercomputer using redstone blocks from Ma○necraft!
Theoretically possible, but no one had actually realized it due to the insane amount of labor it required; that’s what made it so impressive.
“He actually made this…”
But if there was one downside—
It was the fact that it was a device with no potential for future development, constrained by the clear limitations of its circuits.
With just a little tweak, it could have been improved.
Just a tiny bit…
“… Why are you staring at my Lucia like that, kid?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Dr. Kuroid.”
Dr. Kuroid began to shudder in anxiety.
I flashed a reassuring smile, trying to convey that I meant no harm.
Yet, he seemed to grow even more anxious.
