Chapter 297

[Due to health reasons, NoName’s representative speech will be handled by Professor Margaret Lopez from Duke University. We apologize to the audience for the long wait.]

Bang bang bang-!

“Nameya! Noname!”

Yoonseul dashed out of the capsule barefoot and knocked hard on the door of Name’s house.

Clank-

The door was roughly opened, and Professor Cheon came out, stuffing his shoes on.

Name was wrapped up snugly in a blanket, nestled against the professor.

Her tightly closed eyes made it seem as if she had lost consciousness.

“…!”

“Hey, could you press the elevator button?”

“Ah yes…! Is Name okay? Is Name hurt somewhere?”

“She’s running a high fever. It’s over 39 degrees.”

“Ahhh… What should we do…? Call 119 quickly!”

“I’ve already called. What happened to Name recently? She said she wouldn’t go to the academy today.”

“No… She was definitely okay until the broadcast started today…! Ugh…”

“I see. Let’s go to the hospital and monitor her condition. During the diagnostic magic check, there were no major issues with her body.”

“Please…”

Professor Cheon reassured the young girl, but worry was etched on his face as well.

Forced logouts in virtual reality are to be avoided as much as possible.

This is because the brain needs time to adjust to the physical body in reality.

However, the capsule forcibly ejecting a user is only limited to when there are extreme abnormalities in the user’s body.

‘I hope nothing is wrong…’

An ambulance with its green lights flashing rushed in vigorously and departed with them onboard.

Vital signs such as pulse and blood pressure were normal except for the high fever.

Yoonseul, positioned next to the stretcher, held onto Name’s small hand tightly until they arrived at the hospital.

From her fingertips, she could feel slight movements.

Name was conscious but still seemed overwhelmed and unable to open her eyes.

“It’s okay. Nothing’s going to happen; Nameya. Once we get to the hospital, you’ll be fine, so just hang in there, okay?”

“…”

The first emergency room they went to had no vacant beds.

The ambulance raced along the eight-lane road under the red moonlight, moving from one hospital to another.

It was only when they arrived at the fourth hospital that Name, having received an IV, found a more comfortable expression and regained steady breathing.

And the next morning.

When Name woke up from a deep sleep amidst everyone’s concerns,

the Name they remembered no longer existed.

“Where… am I…?”

* * *

Divine retribution fell upon the holy place welcoming the gods.

Dust clouds, gray and colorless, veiled the sun, while crimson flames offered an eternal sunset.

On the chests of the white-robed clergy bloomed a single red rose.

This was the only memory the girl recalled.

“Hurry! We need to run now! The witch is right here!”

A boy burst in, flinging the door open.

Holding back tears, he grabbed the girl’s wrist and pulled her outside.

The whole world was engulfed in flames, and thick smoke snatched people’s lives one by one.

The beautiful silver hair of the girl, praised daily by the bishops, became increasingly soiled and frizzy.

Yet, there was no trace of life to be found; they had no choice but to dash through the desolate streets.

“Look ahead! Ahead!”

“Huh?”

“AAAAAAH!”

Only those who have faced the crossroads of life and death can understand the fear of dying.

Golden threads, as sharp as guillotines, flew and snagged their ankles.

The witch who turned the entire Alphenheim kingdom into ruins had finally found them.

“Let’s end the hide-and-seek here. That’s enough, don’t you think?”

After all, escaping her grasp was impossible.

The girl finally knelt, tears streaming down her face as she began to beg.

“Y-You’re here to kill me, right? M-M-Match, right?

“Hey! This isn’t the time for that! Get up!”

“Please… spare my life… I’ll give you anything… Please… Please…”

With a choked voice, the girl began to plead.

Pushing away the boy who was tugging at her arm, she clung to the witch’s legs, burying her face in them.

“I… I did everything the witch told me to do…! I even handed over the keys to heaven and drew a map of the Alphenheim underground! I did everything… I did as instructed, so why… Why are you trying to take everything from me?! Why!”

Her voice erupted in a desperate scream.

The witch stared at the girl, who was sobbing in despair, and sighed,

“You’ve changed a lot.”

With emotionless eyes, she grabbed the girl by her hair.

“You never had anything from the start.”

The cold words pierced the girl’s heart like a dagger.

“Your body has always belonged to me, and the emotions you feel now are all false.”

Golden mana spiraled around the girl, and the pain that had tormented her body disappeared like a lie, and her eyes began to close.

“Astarthe!”

The enraged boy rushed in to save the girl, but

she had no memory of what happened after that.

[Still, I’ll protect your memories.]

* * *

What exists in the space of nothingness holds inherent contradictions.

Thus, it exists yet does not exist.

Drifting between consciousness and oblivion in the imaginary realm, suddenly, the ‘wall’ became loose.

“…!”

The concept of a girl was affixed to what did not exist, and the girl beheld dazzling light with her own two eyes.

Just barely grasping her fading consciousness, she reached out toward the wall, squeezing her body through the gap.

“Gah!”

Thud-!

A sound was made. This meant that a concept of mass was assigned, and sensory organs capable of hearing were formed.

In the dark room, a presence was felt.

The moment the child was recognized, the room brightened up.

Photos densely adorned the room.

A tall brown-haired brother and a seemingly ill-tempered red-haired witch sister.

“And… the former saint…?”

The girl, who had flowed into the unknown room, looked around until she spotted a cowering child in the corner.

“Ha! You’re such a funny friend! How did you get in here?”

As the gloomy child with a cast on his arm lifted his face, chills ran down the girl’s spine.

Because he looked exactly like the witch who had killed her.

In fact, it was believable that he was her childhood self.

“Who are you?”

“Me? Isn’t it customary to introduce yourself first?”

“Ah…! My name is… I am…”

The girl hesitated.

“You are Astarthe.”

The moment the child spoke, fragments of memory returned like a lie.

“…!”

“And I am Shardenfroide. Looks like you want to get out of here?”

Nodding vigorously—

The child pointed to the door.

“…?”

More accurately, a little to the right of it.

“Ah, it was over there? As expected, you can see it. Go open it. An interesting world will unfold before you.”

Recognizing the door, the child who had been occupying the room vanished right before her eyes.

To escape the incomprehensible world, the girl took a step forward.

* * *

“Car…”

“What is this?”

“Train…”

“Then what about this one?”

“Wi-Fi…”

Name diligently answered the questions of the elderly doctor as she flipped through picture cards one by one.

And then, she was given a short break.

Name gulped down the water in a disposable paper cup and tilted her head.

“I can’t remember my name… Who was it…?”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to force yourself to remember.”

“But… did I ask what my name was earlier?”

“Eh?”

“Astarthe… People always called me Astarthe.”

* * *

[NoName Official]

[Community Post]

[Hello. This is Maru, the editor for NoName VTube.

During a joint stream, NoName was forcibly disconnected from the capsule, which raised concerns and inquiries from many. Thus, I am writing this post.

Yesterday, during the broadcast on October 25th, NoName exhibited symptoms of a high fever and was immediately transported to the emergency room.

NoName underwent a comprehensive health examination at the hospital this morning, and I am pleased to report that there are no significant health issues at this time.

However, it seems that long-term hospitalization is inevitable until the person is sufficiently stabilized, along with psychological treatment for the mental illness currently being experienced.

As a result, we have decided to suspend the operation of ‘NoName’s’ Twish and VTube for the time being.

I would like to sincerely thank everyone who supports NoName.

As a manager and VTube editor, I wish for NoName’s speedy recovery.

Thank you.]

“Did you post it?”

“Yeah. For now…”

“Sigh… How can someone become so serious in an instant… without any warning signs?”

“Don’t speak carelessly. Name will recover in no time.”

Seomaru and Seonoel, the brothers, visited to check on Name.

The doctor’s preliminary assessment of Name’s condition was ‘dissociative stupor.’

Due to trauma or stress, it is an extreme form of dissociative amnesia where one cannot remember who they were, where they went, or whom they talked to.

“Where is Name’s father?”

“He was called in for police questioning due to child abuse allegations.”

“What? Why him!”

“It appears they must go through the formalities. Since he went with a doctor, it should be okay.”

Name’s memories had been completely wiped, as if they had never existed from the start.

The only incident that came to mind that might have caused her stress was one.

“The capsule.”

While it’s true that it had been used without incident until now, it was hard to find a good reason for that.

“Who was it… the friend of Name who came with her?”

“Kariri, or rather, Yoonseul? She cried all night and just fell asleep a little while ago.”

Yoonseul believed that she might have played a part in causing Name to collapse.

More silence settled in the empty room.

The brothers stared at the empty bed for a long time, waiting for Name to return.

Knock knock-

“…!”

At that moment, an elderly female doctor entered the room, holding Name’s hand.

Name came in, sulking and puffing her cheeks, dragging the IV pole behind her with her other hand.

“Nameya!”

“Hey, are you okay?”

“…”

Name coldly passed by both brothers and climbed into her bed.

She hugged the pillow to her chest and curled up like a shrimp, looking away.

The doctor handed the nurse the medical chart and gently informed them of the patient’s condition.

“Her fever has gone down, and she complained of a slight headache, so we added more IV fluids.”

“Why did Name suddenly get sick? She seemed perfectly fine until now.”

“We suspect anaphylactic shock. Specifically, there seems to have been an allergic reaction to Aura Heart. May I ask if the child has recently received any mana-form substances?”

“Mana-form substances…?”

“For example, it could be healing magic or any magical substances that have a direct impact on metabolism.”

The brothers exchanged thoughts after some contemplation.

“Name’s potion pills? But those had been fine for months.”

“The Demon Lord’s horn? That has always been fine too.”

“Or could it be… perhaps during the championship? The sleep effect magic? Could that have been a cause? But that happened three days ago, so there’s a bit of time difference.”

“While it’s not a common case, depending on the constitution, it could certainly happen. If it’s a small amount, it can take time for the mana to build up naturally in Aura Heart.”

“Understood… But what about Name’s memory? Is it still not back?”

The sensation of not being recognized by Name made their hearts sink every time they made eye contact.

“It typically recovers within a few hours to a few days, but it can take up to a month. Unfortunately, it’s a psychological issue, so I can’t definitively say anything. Also, symptoms of dissociative identity disorder often appear, which is commonly thought of as multiple personality disorder…”

“What… What did you say? Name has multiple personalities?”

“However, dissociative identity disorder is not officially recognized in the academic community. The occurrences are quite rare, and there are views that other types of mental illness might have been exaggerated. All we can do for now is continue monitoring her, and I’m truly sorry about that.”

“Oh, no…”

“If the stress situation is alleviated, she may recover her memories rapidly, so it would be greatly beneficial if guardians continuously share good memories with the child.”

“Thank you for your advice, Doctor.”

“Oh, and one more thing.”

“…?”

“She said her name was Astarthe. I don’t know much about what that means, but if you know anything, it might be good to talk about those things.”

Once the busy doctor left, Seonoel cautiously touched Name’s shoulder to call to her.

“Nameya.”

“…”

“NoName…!”

“…”

“Astarthe!”

“Yes…?”

“Oh, she’s turning! Remember who we are?”

Clapping his hands, Seonoel struggled to smile.

Name slowly lifted her IV arm and,

“No! Our Name would never do this…!”

She flipped them the bird.

* * *

Words spoken aloud can no longer be secrets.

The source of the rumors circulating on the internet could have been medical personnel who forgot their duties, or perhaps patients who overheard something by chance; but for now, that was not important.

[‘Youngest recipient of the Wolf Mathematics Award,’ NoName, diagnosed with dissociative amnesia. Cause under investigation.]

NoName, who left behind an achievement that would never occur again in human history.

Rumors spread overnight that she was burning her last flame in the hospital room.