Chapter 112

Episode 112. Angel (4)

***

Director’s Office Floor Lounge.

“I don’t get what’s so cute about angels. The Humanoid Research Department folks seem to have collectively caught Stockholm Syndrome or something.”

Advisor An shook his head.

“Some people said the same about the Director. They wondered why everyone was making such a fuss over someone not particularly cute. Of course, it was a very small minority…”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

“You just said something, didn’t you?”

Advisor An tilted his head for a while.

“Uh…”

“What is it? You’re making me curious.”

“It’s nothing major. When Dr. Kim first joined, a lot of people clapped and called him cute. Some found it pathetic, though.”

“……”

This is the first I’m hearing about it.

“Anyway. It’s a bit weird, right? They don’t even look human, and there’s the risk of cognitive disasters. Ah, come to think of it, maybe the cognitive disaster is the real issue.”

“Who knows. Right now, you can’t even approach an angel without passing a cognitive disaster screening.”

“Hmm.”

“Anyway. If you’re worried, I’ll ban any mention of angels on the facility intranet. It’s tied to the cognitive disaster issue anyway.”

“Do that.”

It seems like the Humanoid Research Department has an unusually high number of weirdos. They go crazy over Cosmos being cute, Ahn Yuri being pretty, and Hasti being pretty.

Kairos is praised for being sweet and handsome while taking care of his daughter, and that armchair expert is praised for being cheerful. It’s better than those who want to dissect everything… I guess.

No, actually, it seems even worse. Now they’re even calling angels, who don’t even look human, cute and whatnot. Ugh.

Obsessive fandom seems to be a human instinct.

“Advisor An. Later, ask the Research Department to prepare a report on PAH and extraterrestrial life. We need to study the biological concepts related to the King of Darkness.”

“Uh… Just leave a note, and I’ll pass it on.”

That should do it. I wrote down what was needed on a Post-it and handed it to Advisor An.

“Advisor, aren’t you scared of angels?”

“I won’t even go near them, but looking at photos, they just seem cute. Not much of an unpleasant feeling.”

***

Everyone finds angels cute.

I honestly think they look a bit weird. The experts, including Bishop Oh and Professor Mayer, have determined the angel’s true name to be Seraphim Zerekihel. It’s not confirmed, but the angel does respond to Zerekihel.

“Is it okay to go in?”

“Disabling the information-blocking airlock. Director, you may enter.”

The airlock was cold.

“Outer barrier closed. Inner door opening.”

I put on cognitive disaster-blocking goggles and a headset and entered the angel’s information-blocking isolation room. Pressing a button, the blackened glass panel turned transparent.

“Yes. I see the isolation room.”

Silence. The information-blocking isolation room was unbearably quiet. I looked at the angel.

“Zerekihel. How have you been?”

“Solitude is familiar. Prison is familiar.

Birds need cages. But I,

The guide of sentient beings, the shepherd of civilizations.

Boredom is not a problem for me.”

I guess that means he’s been fine.

“I have a question about something you said in the past. What did you do during World War II?”

“It was not just a war of humans.

War is everything. The whole world

Participates in the conflict. The Foundation’s blade

Was aimed at all who opposed order.”

“Right.”

“Angels took sides. Some held

Black flags, others red flags.

Yet others held blue flags.

It became the end of everything.”

“……”

If it’s true that angels caused the war, or if it’s a sign that war is coming, it might be better to kill them now.

“So. Did you manifest because of the war?”

The pigeon shook its head.

“No. I was captured by merchants

At the end of the cold war.

They used me to bestow blessings.

Only for themselves.”

So. The Pluto Limited Company, which handed over the angel to us, was using the angel to bestow blessings on people?

“Were you giving blessings to people?”

“Human organizations measure

Everything in numbers. Miracles, magic,

Even their lives are measured that way.

The merchants’ schemes are similar.”

I nodded. In the end, Pluto Limited Company was capturing angels and forcing them to bestow blessings. For money.

It’s hard to imagine such a mess.

“Couldn’t you escape?”

The angel charged at the glass window. Sparks flew from its fingertips—a sky-blue chain appeared in mid-air.

A magical chain binding its wrist.

Some kind of seal seems to be in place.

“Seal. Should I release it?”

The angel tilted its head. Sometimes it doesn’t speak and expresses its intentions through gestures or looks. Maybe it’s just too lazy to compose a 16-word poem every time.

“It’s not that simple.

In the end, regardless of the situation, murder

Is a grave sin for angels, equivalent to corruption.

I lost my freedom as a result of participating.”

Hmm… So the seal wasn’t caused by the limited company? They just got caught up in it?

“The Foundation has magic experts, so with some effort, we might be able to dismantle the chains binding you. No guarantees, though.”

“Chains. I’m not the only one bound by chains.

Let me ask, Dr. Kim. Are you free?

Your situation and mine don’t seem that different.”

The angel flapped its wings briefly.

“You. Know everything and nothing.

A barbaric, primitive existence with more city-destroying weapons than cities.

The world, the universe, is full of mysteries.”

“……”

“While you’re busy with guns and blades,

Oppression and domination.

Cosmos flaunts infinite possibilities

Like a harlot of fate.”

I slowly nodded.

To sum it up. The limited company has been capturing this angel since the Cold War to bestow blessings, and after I let Daemos go, they handed over the angel as a gift.

I should check what the blessings are about.

But if I ask to use the blessing, it might turn hostile. Let’s hold off on that. It just caused a ruckus showing the chains, didn’t it?

***

[About Martian Lifeforms]

[Author: Head of Supernatural Biology Department]

[Cosmos’s mystery… The pigeon said something quite intriguing. Here’s a brief summary of the materials you requested, Director.]

[ALH-84001.]

[A Martian meteorite found in Antarctica. Rumors swirled in the scientific community that it was the first case of extraterrestrial life being discovered. Three types of fossils were found in this meteorite.]

[First. Nanobacteria.]

[In our field, it’s a hot topic. It’s so complex that I don’t even know where to start explaining. Just know that nanobacteria fossils were found in this meteorite.]

[Nanobacteria are a type of self-replicating particle, 2 to 10 times smaller than bacteria. They consist of complex organic molecules but lack nucleic acids or cell membranes.]

[Note: They are involved in vascular atherosclerosis and urinary stone formation in humans.]

[Second. Magnetite Crystals]

[Tiny hexagonal magnetite crystals were found in the meteorite. I consider this definitive evidence of Martian life activity. Why the academic community thinks otherwise, I don’t know.]

[Third. PAH]

[A type of chemical fossil. Generally, it’s a complex organic molecule resulting from life activity, and it was found in this meteorite.]

[Honestly, this meteorite alone establishes evidence of Martian life, but why it’s not well-known to the public, I have no idea.]

***

[About Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons]

[Author: Dr. Murray, Biology Department]

[It’s a bit complicated.]

[I’m not sure if I need to say this. Is there anything simple? If it were simple, it wouldn’t be a supernatural phenomenon.]

[The most well-known polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon is naphthalene.]

[First, about the symbolism of PAH. You might wonder what symbolism a bizarre chemical substance could have, but I want to make this clear. You can look up the chemical details on your own.]

[They are often found in comets and asteroids, places with water and carbon. While not directly related to life, they can be materials for creating organic molecules.]

[They are also frequently mentioned in supernatural phenomena related to the King of Darkness. Maybe they serve as a medium for spirits, though I’m not sure why.]

[The chemist who discovered the benzene ring structure was August Kekulé, who said he envisioned the structure after seeing an ouroboros in a dream.]

[Ouroboros. A snake eating its own tail, symbolizing the cycle of life and death. The symbolism of cyclic hydrocarbons is about cycles and reincarnation, themes also seen in the King of Darkness.]

[Niguras-2, a flower born from ashes, Niguras-4, an egg born from a corpse, Niguras-3, Hasti who returned from death, etc. Resurrection, cycles, evolution, and reincarnation—these themes are similar to other supernatural phenomena related to the King of Darkness.]