Chapter 551

“Noname, are you saying that this is a biotechnological humanoid?”

“A robot…? No, how can you call it a robot? I just used Aura! How did you make it usable, Noname! Noname!”

“Is that the issue right now? It doesn’t make sense whether it’s a robot or a person.”

“Is there no expert in magical engineering here? They’re all sports reporters and can’t help at all!”

“Wait a minute! Isn’t there a magic circle hidden somewhere? Everyone, calm down!”

Reporters are a suspicious bunch.

I began to suspect that I had used some trick on Saetbyeol, from one doubt to another.

I thought revealing one outward manifestation would suffice, but they sharply pointed out the unclear parts.

[Cast: Resonance]

Baaaang—

I clapped once, producing a sound that overwhelmed the audience.

“From now on, I won’t be taking questions.”

The reporters paused.

“Since this is a sensitive topic, those who cause a commotion will be asked to leave immediately. If everyone agrees, please take a seat.”

“There’s no such law—”

“Should I leave, then?”

It was crucial to establish from the outset that they were the ones at a disadvantage.

One by one, the reporters closed their mouths and took their seats.

“Sit down, sit down. Yes, next to me.”

I seated Saetbyeol beside me and calmly took the microphone.

I organized what to do first in my mind and immediately set it into action.

I had to firmly believe that Saetbyeol was indeed Adella.

It would be troublesome if nonsense like “this is a collusion,” or “a grand national scam,” arose even after all this was revealed.

“Are there any of you here who follow Adella on VR chat? Please just quietly raise your hand.”

About five out of a hundred people raised their hands.

“Is this all there is to it?”

“The realms are different, you know…”

I pointed to one of them and instructed them to call Adella via voice chat.

Ding ding—

Saetbyeol opened a hologram and launched the VR chat app.

Since she wasn’t connected to the capsule, a default avatar was generated in the virtual reality.

Then she picked up the incoming voice call.

“Hello.”

The delay in the VR chat app voice call was about 100 milliseconds.

[Hello.]

After a 0.1-second gap, the same sound echoed from the reporter’s phone.

“Can you describe what the reporter is wearing right now?”

“Just a plain black suit. There’s a dove pin badge on the left side of the chest.”

[Just a plain black suit. There’s a dove pin badge on the left side of the chest.]

That was an extremely clear and perfect verification.

“Achou!”

[Achou.]

One reporter sneezed, and it was perfectly transmitted through the call, leaving no room for doubts that Adella was acting separately.

“Is… is that really Adella?”

“Was it real?”

“What the hell…!”

“Reporter, where are you from?”

“From the sports department of the Wall Street Journal… Are you doubting me right now?”

“Quiet! I’ll have you removed.”

“…”

Since only their upper bodies were showing, it seemed they didn’t think my words made any sense.

I decided to stand on the table and continue the press conference.

“You must have many questions. I know very well that everything I say can’t be verified here in this space. Nevertheless! I hope you convey my words to the public without any fabrication. The power of the pen you wield is far stronger than you can imagine. It can kill an innocent person… or save them… Is that understood? Shall we begin?”

One shouldn’t tighten the grip on people too much.

I watched the atmosphere, saying something to lift the spirits of the reporters.

Nod—

With that, I reconfirmed the will of the media.

With this level of appeal, even if a few false articles slipped in, many media outlets would fact-check them.

“Alright. The incident goes back to last January. We learned that Adella, an ASI, was created by copying a human brain through a brain map when the terrorist organization Aleph was captured. Here’s the question: Is Adella an artificial intelligence or a human? Think about your answers internally.”

The effort to create self-awareness and consciousness in artificial intelligence has been underway for decades.

But those attempts were merely to make humans ‘mistake’ them as having a self, failing to meet the fundamental definition.

“However, soon after, problems arose with Adella.

Her brain still firmly believes that the VR world is reality, but evidence to the contrary began to input.

In virtual reality, there’s no process of eating food and breaking down carbohydrates into glucose.

There’s no need to sleep because toxins, including beta-amyloid in brain cells, don’t accumulate.

Adella’s brain starts to think, ‘Oh, I can live even if I’m not here?’

Like a boiling frog, her brain slowly and gradually begins to deteriorate.

Since ‘deteriorating’ has a very negative connotation, let me correct that.

I believe there was a transformation.”

Adella, who had been listening silently beside me, suddenly darkened.

“Eek! Is that true? Why didn’t you tell me!”

“That’s because if you become aware, it could worsen. I also didn’t look closely, so I don’t know precisely what changes were happening to you.”

“I trusted you… I trusted you…”

The sound of shutters increased in intensity.

My eyes were so dazzled that I coated my cornea with Aura.

“From that point on, I felt the urgency to give Adella a body. However, both scientifically and philosophically, the continuity of human life is very important. Is a cryogenically frozen person the same as the one before? They are the same person, because continuity is guaranteed. If we assume that mind uploading technology arises in the distant future, let’s imagine transporting the human head by blowing it apart. From that point on, many people might find it difficult to agree.”

The individual might perceive themselves as the same, but from a third-party perspective, it could be accepted or rejected.

I unfolded a hologram and showcased two spells.

These were spells already discovered in this world by various renowned magicians.

“So, using the 5th Circle Akashic Record and the 7th Circle Persona Physis, especially the latter, I ensured continuity and created a body for Adella transferring the self of the brain map.”

“What do you mean?”

“According to the 5 Ws and H, I will explain. On March 14 and 15, 2052, at the Korea Gunsan Magic Power Plant, I brought Adella into the real world using my own money of 210,036,000 won.”

“Did you directly use the Persona Physis, Noname?”

“She is currently enrolled in high school under the name Saetbyeol and has been living well with others for over a year.”

“You mentioned she is in high school; did the people around her know her identity?”

“I hope everyone agrees to have that person removed.”

Naturally, the reporters agreed. One less competitor for them.

“Ugh? Ahh, wait a second!”

The press conference venue was enveloped in silence.

I paused and gave the reporters time to organize their thoughts.

Since it wasn’t their area of expertise, they seemed busy contacting others here and there.

“Before explaining the magic, I’d like to address my sister’s identity issue. We answered ‘yes’ to the question of whether we had resided in Korea for over five years when filling out Adella’s refugee recognition application. In hindsight, I think it may constitute a procedural issue, so I will take full responsibility for that.”

The reason this question exists is that the average refugee review period, including administrative litigation, is about five years.

If someone quietly lived in Korea for five years without causing any problems, there was a procedure to simplify the process.

“However, the adoption process was carried out lawfully. Since my father is a high-ranking military mage and a national hero appointed by presidential decree, there were no restrictions on adoption eligibility, so please don’t misunderstand this matter.”

Surprisingly, no one showed any interest.

I was saying this in anticipation that I might be ridiculed for it later.

“Lastly, let’s talk about magic.”

Click click click click—

All the reporters and cameramen focused with furrowed brows.

“Everyone watching this video, please listen carefully. The magic I utilize fundamentally differs from the concept of human body modification you might be aware of. Creating the desired body? Eternal life? Of course, that’s out of the question. It’s impossible even to become a second younger for even one second. That’s because it doesn’t manipulate telomeres.”

I grabbed Adella’s wrist and shook it upward.

“Adella is originally a person. Although she has been perfectly turned into something completely different by merging and embedding the brains of people like a chimera in virtual reality… the body she possesses now is what she rightfully should have had.”

“That’s right, that’s right.”

“So please don’t come to me with strange requests born from misunderstandings or envy you caught from somewhere. I can tell you how to do it, though. If you are tortured to death like what Valpurigis or Aleph did, and somehow bring back a perfectly reset brain map, I can make you into a new existence. How would you do that? I have no clue.”

What can I do if I really don’t know?

I shrugged my shoulders and pouted my lips.

One reporter had been desperately holding out a sketchbook for ten minutes.

[Are you planning to reveal what kind of magic it is to the public?]

At this point, I decided to cleverly mix in some lies.

It’s more effective to insert one or two lies within the truth rather than outright lying from the start.

In a glum tone, I said.

“Honestly, I’m also afraid of why I know this magic…”

“…!”

“Is Valpurigis attempting to create their own army using ASI, like Adella and me? The magic to attach a body to the brain map… It sounds horrifying. Don’t you find it scary? And it may be hard to believe, but I can ‘just’ use this magic. Without knowledge of how to utilize mana per each rune or the principles of circuitry.”

I stepped down from the table.

Sitting in my chair with my arms folded, I struggled to lift my head.

“Let me confess one more thing: I have been trying to decipher this magic since long ago, even without knowing it myself. The optic nerve connectome Akashic record I introduced before was also based on this magic. While it’s closer to imitating someone else’s results than starting from zero, who knows? It’s something those damn terrorists created.”

Just thinking about them made my anger rise.

I clenched my teeth and suppressed my rage.

“In any case, I will continue to work hard to ensure that this can be used in a way that helps humanity. Thank you all for listening. As I mentioned earlier, I won’t be taking additional questions.”

I took Saetbyeol’s hand and quickly fled the press conference room.

Behind us, the reporters’ disgruntled voices burst forth.

Shouts, applause, whistles, and screams mixed chaotically.

“Sis, can we really do this?”

Saetbyeol asked with uncertainty as she followed me.

“Hmph, who cares.”

Many things would change from now on.

But if there’s something that wouldn’t change, it would be the relationships with dear people.

If I gained power in my past life, in this life, I will exert that power without wasting a moment.