"Once the regular check-ins stop, they'll send scouts immediately. We don't have much time, so come quickly."
Abigail waved me over.
As I stood beside her, she started operating a device that looked like a centrifuge.
"First, let's set this magic stone here," she said.
She removed the magic stone from the control terminal and placed it into the device. Once done, she hurriedly moved to another location, with me trailing behind like a lost puppy.
"Let's do an X-ray scan. Stand over there," she instructed.
I did as I was told.
After a while, she said, "Alright, you're good," and as I stood behind her, she stared at the monitor and groaned.
"I'd also like a CT scan of your head, but we can't do that here… I'll get one of mine too. Can you press this button when I signal?"
I nodded and pressed the button when she signaled.
Returning, Abigail groaned again, "Hmm."
Looking at the same screen, I was completely lost: ?????
A beeping sound echoed.
Abigail removed the magic stone from the device, returned it to the control terminal, and sat back down. She stared at the monitor, groaning, "Hmm."
Standing behind her like a creepy statue, I watched as she suddenly exclaimed, "Ah!" and brought out a gun-shaped device from the back of the room.
She pointed it at the control terminal: *Beep*. At my temple: *Beep*. At her choker: *Beep*. *Click*. She placed the mysterious device on the table, folded her arms, and took a deep breath.
Her efficiency was almost unnerving…
In a facility I'd never visited before, she moved with such confidence. I swallowed hard, my heart pounding.
"I think I've got it," she said casually.
No way…
Abigail spun her chair around to face me, crossed her legs, and began explaining.
"First, about this terminal—it's a crystallized form of the
Abigail tapped the control terminal on the desk and continued.
"So, it's not the terminal itself that's crucial—it's the Telepath magic. Any alien capable of Telepath could send you commands, even without this device."
Huh.
*"So, the voices telling me to return now are because the aliens are sending Telepath from the city?"*
I used the whiteboard to write this out. Butcher writing on a whiteboard—a rare sight, I think.
Abigail nodded.
"Probably. Both your control device and my choker contain paired Telepath magic stones. To communicate remotely via Telepath, the parties need to be matched beforehand… It's like this radio over here."
She pointed to a nearby radio.
"A receiver that plays messages from a pre-tuned channel."
That makes sense.
"And the detonation command is likely sent via Telepath too. I don't think just anyone can issue it… But if that's the case, stealing the terminal or destroying the transmitter wouldn't really matter. As long as the paired magic stone's data remains, they can recreate the transmitter anytime. If an alien capable of Telepath magic wanted to, they could send the detonation command directly. The only way for you to be free is to remove the device."
So that's how it is.
My throat constricted unconsciously.
"Jevaudan, yesterday you said the commands weren't affecting you, so maybe the device is broken, and it won't self-destruct either, right?"
If the commands have no effect on me but do on Butcher, maybe the control device in my temple is broken.
So, my fear of my brain exploding might be unfounded. The self-destruct mechanism might not even activate. I'd been wondering about this and brought it up with Abigail yesterday.
"It's good you're cautious. The device isn't broken. The self-destruct mechanism is functional."
That was close. Safe.
"To begin with, the control device's hold on Butcher is questionable. It just sends messages directly to your brain. You being able to act freely against the commands is, in a way, only natural."
*"What about the other Butchers—"*
"They don't have the capacity to think for themselves, so they just follow orders. Probably. You, on the other hand, retained your sense of self, so you can act freely. It's as simple as that."
Abigail shrugged.
"It's no wonder Butchers often go rogue. There was never any real control to begin with. If a Butcher misinterprets a command or gets inexplicably irritable, they'll act differently, just like that."
Is that so… I always thought Butchers couldn't defy the commands, but it turns out the others are just too dumb to question what they're told.
I looked up unconsciously, making a "What the hell?" gesture.
Abigail gripped my finger and continued.
"It's truly… good that you retained your sense of self and stayed cautious. If you'd acted freely, you'd have been disposed of in no time. A Butcher with self-awareness is just too dangerous."
*"Is Ferris okay?"*
I'd already exchanged names with the fox-girl Ferris.
"From what you've told me, Ferris is fine. She's more likely to protect you. None of the other aliens seem to have caught on, right?"
Ferris protecting me? Hmm… Maybe? But if Abigail says so, it's probably true.
As I nodded, tilting my head in thought, Abigail sighed slowly.
"My choker is simple—just a Telepath receiver and some bead-like explosive magic stones. Yours seems more complex."
Hmm.
"First, there's a lot more explosive material. It's probably because it's for a Butcher. And at the tip of the device—deep inside your brain—there's another type of magic stone. I can't analyze its type without removing it… But Jevaudan, something you said gave me an idea."
*"What's that?"*
She nodded at my question and continued.
"Yesterday, you told me that Butchers wear bags on their heads because their heads explode when they die, right? But you said those bags are actually high-tech helmets. I've heard that story too—from human soldiers. They say Butchers' heads always explode when they die."
Oh no. That "meat bag" joke was just a human soldier's laugh line. And it originated from Fox, too. I slipped up…
Wait, have I been revealing too much about myself while talking to Abigail?
My heart raced as Abigail continued, unfazed.
"It's just a hypothesis, but the device in your temple is likely monitoring your heartbeat or brainwaves. So, if you die, it detects that and explodes. Even if you remove it forcefully, it'll explode if it detects your heartbeat or brainwaves stopping. That sensor is the magic stone at the tip."
It makes sense.
"I think it's brainwaves. Heartbeat is just blood flow and pressure, which are too unstable. For a Butcher fighting in intense combat, monitoring brainwaves would be more reliable. Plus, Butchers barely sleep, which supports the brainwave theory. If you're not sleeping, there's less risk of misdetection."
As I marveled at Abigail's reasoning, she kept going.
"If this hypothesis is correct, either tricking or destroying the sensor magic stone at the tip should allow you to remove the self-destruct device safely. But destroying it might trigger the self-destruct as a safety measure, so that's a last resort. It's better to find a way to trick the device."
Trick it… How?
I tilted my head slightly.
Abigail paused, leaning back in her chair.
*Creak…*
"And I think I know how…"
What?!
I gasped and dropped my pen.
"The control device might be monitoring your brainwaves, but not in detail. That would be too difficult. It's probably just checking if brainwaves are present or not."
Right.
"We don't fully understand how Telepath works, but it definitely interferes with brainwaves. So, if an alien capable of Telepath sends a signal to the magic stone at the tip of the device, we can remove it during that time. That should trick the device. Just to be safe, we should simulate your brainwaves while talking to you."
Get a Telepath-using alien to remove the device in my temple…
"Jevaudan, remember when you beat up that dragon girl at the all-girls school and heard an unknown mental voice?"
I nodded.
"Was there a terminal nearby?"
I shook my head.
"When you got annoyed by the voice and glared, it was the brown-skinned girl, not Ferris, who looked surprised, right?"
I nodded, slightly taken aback by Abigail's casual tone.
"That girl is a Telepath user. She can not only talk to you but also hear your thoughts. She's an alien who can communicate directly with you."
I clapped enthusiastically. Bravo.
Seeing the rare sight of Butcher clapping, Abigail smirked proudly.
"Thank you. There might be other Telepath users, but she's our first candidate."
*"How do we get her to remove it?"*
To my simple question, she shrugged.
"That's… something we'll figure out later. This is all just a hypothesis. We still have time, so let's take all the usable devices here back to your base, continue the investigation, and increase our certainty. I want to run more experiments too."
*"You're amazing. A real detective."*
My sincere praise.
Abigail propped her cheek on the desk, crossed her legs again, and smiled faintly, giving me a sidelong glance that made my heart skip a beat.
"See? Our talk was useful, right?"
…
"So, let's keep talking♪"
…
I could only nod in resignation.