Chapter 190 Still Didn't Have Grown Emotions
When Ickle came out of the artificial womb, her physical age was already around ten years old.
However, as expected, her insides were still like a newborn baby's. After all, she was just born.
But, thanks to Chronosphere's hand, she was given the ability to generate nanomachines and build a brain device, and she suddenly acquired all sorts of knowledge.
It was a knowledge download using the Brain Support Interface.
Normally, it would take years to learn all this, but Ickle had it all etched into her brain in just a few days.
Usually, one wouldn't do a massive knowledge download like this because it could affect her personality. But this was a special exception because Ickle was just born... or rather, it wasn't a good thing to do, even though she was just born.
Anyway...
If personality is built by accumulating memories, then Ickle's massive knowledge download could be said to have formed her personality, and she gained a sense of self.
However, this was an unnatural, forced growth that ignored the natural flow of things, and it became an undeniable distortion in Ickle's personality formation.
Ickle, who grew her knowledge and personality to the point where she could have adult-like conversations in just half a year, still didn't have grown emotions.
This was something that would need to grow slowly as she lived her life.
――If she could live a normal life, that is.
(Am I, a failed creation...?)
Chronosphere, who copied and downloaded all sorts of knowledge into Ickle, had innocently taught her about herself as well.
So, it's about the failure of the "Lucia Rebirth Plan" and the "Lucia Series"... and all that.
(I couldn't become Lucia... that's why, Ickle...)
That fact makes her feel anxious.
She's a failure. She's not needed. She'll be thrown away someday, won't she?
Chronosphere approaches her with a gentle smile on his face.
"Ickle, you can call me Father if you want."
"Fa... ther...?"
"Ah, yes. You're already a member of the 4 families. You've been incorporated into my network, after all. So, you're like my daughter."
"Fa... ther..."
Father. Family. Someone to rely on.
Ickle is strongly drawn to that existence in her knowledge, and yearns for it. To a young girl with nothing, those words are too sweet. She's been searching for someone to acknowledge her, someone to protect her.
"Ickle, my dear daughter... won't you work for me? I need your power."
"Yes, Father! I understand!"
There was never a chance for Ickle to refuse, but with Chronosphere's words, she decides to join the secret society Chronosphere's activities of her own free will.
And time passes... she ends up participating in the exploration of the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫.
As Kyle Aron.
●◯●
Supernatural Ability――[Shape Shifter]
That's the Supernatural Ability that Ickle acquired as an "adept." This ability is simple, allowing her to change her body to impersonate others――but that's all. She can't copy others' abilities or memories; she can only perfectly mimic their appearance and voice.
There are several conditions for activating this ability.
First, the target's appearance must be recorded in her brain device as an image or video. This can be easily done by just glancing at the person or using [Space perception] to capture their image.
However, if the target's naked body isn't recorded, Ickle can't reproduce any physical characteristics she doesn't know about, such as scars or moles.
And more importantly, the people Ickle can "transform" into are limited to those she has "good feelings" towards or is "jealous" of.
Ickle can't transform into people she doesn't have these emotions towards.
As of when she infiltrated the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫, the people Ickle can transform into are as follows:
Jilva Chronosphere.
Noah Kirke.
Chloe Caduceus.
Lucia (the 50th floor guardian of the labyrinth).
Kyle Aron.
That's a total of 5 people.
The reason there are so few is that she didn't have many opportunities to interact with others. Among them, the trigger for her being able to transform into Kyle Aron was almost like a coincidence.
"Hey, Ickle, you don't have any work to do today, do you? How about we go out and have some fun? I'll even give you some allowance."
It's been about 6 years since the secret society Chronosphere was established.
The stampede to take out the right arm of the [Evil God] from the [Spirit Temple] for the [Imitation Seal Coffin]'s performance test had finally ended, and about a month had passed since then.
On a rare day, Chronosphere, with a gentle smile, said such a thing.
"Play...? Father... is it okay? Is it really okay to go out for such a reason?"
Ickle asked uncertainly, and Chronosphere laughed "hahaha" and replied.
"Of course, it's perfectly fine. No one would object to you going out. There's nothing to worry about."
"If... Father says so..."
Ickle smiled modestly and accepted Chronosphere's proposal.
That day, she teleported to the surface world, all dressed up.
It was a holiday just for herself, not for any society work. The fact made her heart feel light and carefree. She thought about what to buy with the allowance from Chronosphere while strolling around the town, feeling happy just walking around.
After visiting a few shops, Ickle was suddenly called out.
"Hey, cute lady over there, want to play with me?"
It was a pickup line.
When she turned around in surprise, she saw a young man with silver hair and golden eyes, giving off an intimidating atmosphere――Kyle Aron, the notorious "Playboy Son of the Aron Family".
"......!!"
Ickle was flustered after unexpectedly encountering a human from one of the 4 families not affiliated with Chronosphere.
At the same time, Kyle, who had called out to him, opened his eyes wide.
"Huh? You're... with that hair and eye color... You must be from my family's branch? I've never seen you before, so I think you're from a side branch... Hmm."
(What do I do? What do I do? What do I do!?)
He couldn't just kill a member of one of the 4 families in broad daylight. In a situation where she couldn't keep her existence a secret, she didn't want to be suspected of being a member of the secret society Chronosphere.
On the other hand, Kyle seemed to have made up his mind about Ickle's true identity...
"Hmm, well, I suppose it's not right to lay a hand on a relative's child... But you're quite the catch... It's a shame to let them go, just like my Johnny says... Yeah, I've decided!"
Kyle made a decisive decision, then took Ickle's hand and kissed it.
"Mwah... Lovely princess, won't you go on a date with me?"
"...Huh?"
By the way, at this time, Ickle was only 5 years old, plus a few months. Physically, she was over 15 years old, but emotionally, she hadn't developed much due to living in an underground facility for a long time.
In other words, Ickle was completely defenseless against flirting. To put it bluntly, she was ridiculously naive.
"A, ah...!!"
"Hahaha! Okay, okay!"
Kyle forcefully pulled Ickle's hand, her face bright red with embarrassment, and started walking somewhere.
"Hmm... It's a bit too early for dinner. Why don't we visit a clothing store and a jewelry store instead?"
"E, eh...!!"
As Ickle was dragged around by the forceful Kyle, they visited various places together. Despite Kyle's forcefulness, he didn't forget to show consideration for the little things, which made Ickle gradually let her guard down.
(Is this person... maybe a good guy?)
As the sky turned crimson and the evening darkness began to deepen, Kyle suddenly announced,
"It's about time, let's get dinner! I've got a favorite inn with delicious food. You have to try it! I'll treat you, so let's go together."
Kyle wrapped his arm around Ickle's waist and forcibly led her towards the red light district. What a coincidence! It turned out that the place they were in was right near the red light district.
Kyle deviated from the main street of the red light district and started walking down a side alley.
For some reason, they walked away from the main street, entering a dimly lit and deserted alley. Kyle's claim that he was heading towards a "delicious inn" was true, but that wasn't all. He was actually heading towards a special inn that catered to the rich and powerful, providing them with various conveniences, including some illegal ones.
Of course, Ickle was unaware of this and didn't know what Kyle was planning to do. As she walked outside at such a late hour, she felt a mix of guilt and excitement, glancing around nervously, but still following Kyle.
And just a few minutes before arriving at the inn, a sudden impact hit, and they both tumbled forward.
"Whoa!?"
"――Huh...?"
It wasn't Ickle, but Kyle who spoke.
And then――
"Kyle... who is this woman again?!"
"Hey, Jamie? Wh-what are you doing here...? It hurts...what's going on?"
Next to Ickle stood a mysterious woman who had pushed Kyle away, glaring down at him with a mixture of contempt and hatred. In her hands, she grasped a knife, its blade stained with a dark, crimson liquid that dripped slowly.
On the other hand, Kyle lay on the ground, groaning in agony as he struggled to get up but failed. The area around his waist was stained black, as if it had been soaked in something.
It was clear that the mysterious woman had stabbed Kyle from behind.
"――eh? Wh-what?"
Ickle, who lacked life experience, was suddenly caught up in this bizarre incident and couldn't accurately assess the situation.
If this were a job for the secret society, Chronosphere, things wouldn't have gone this far. However, on this day, Ickle's consciousness was not that of "Ickle, a member of the secret society Chronosphere," but rather that of "a young, innocent girl, Ickle."
So, she could only stand there, her eyes wide with shock and her body frozen in confusion.
Before her eyes,
"Wait, Jamie...!! Let's talk...!! If we talk, you'll understand...!!"
"Shut up! I'm sick of you! You're so annoying!!"
"That's a misunderstanding...!! I didn't abandon you...!! I said we should all get along...!!"
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!! There are too many of them, 18 people are too much!! I'll kill you, and then I'll die too!!"
While desperately trying to calm the woman down, Kyle took a potion from his storage ring.
However, he didn't have the leisure to do so. Or maybe if he had trained to use magic even in intense pain, he could have escaped using teleportation magic.
"Aaaaaaa!!" The woman screamed as she pounced on Kyle, brandishing a knife in each hand. *Thrust, thrust, thrust* She repeatedly swung her knives down.
"Stop!? Hurts!? Help!? Sorry――."
Kyle's voice, which was groaning in pain, gradually grew quieter――and eventually stopped.
In the dim alley, only the woman's ragged breathing echoed. And then――,
"By the way... were you there too?"
"――E-eek?"
The woman stood up from the dark puddle of blood, knife in hand, and turned around.
Her eyes, completely devoid of sanity, stared at her, and a scream escaped her throat.
"You damn cat thief...!! I'll kill you too before I die...!!"
And the woman raised her knife, showing no hesitation as she charged towards her――,
"A, noooo!!"
――SPLAT!!
And she was cut into hundreds of pieces, falling to the ground.
"――Eh?"
It was a spatial magic cut.
However, she didn't do it.
"You were in a dangerous spot, Ickle. Are you okay?"
"――F-Father...?"
She turned around towards the direction of the voice――and there was Chronosphere, with a gentle smile on his face.
"Why are you... here?"
"Hmm, it's already late. I'm worried about Ickle. I came here to pick you up, and by chance, I found you being attacked. I'm glad I made it in time to help."
"Yeah, yeah," he smiled and nodded.
Then he approached Ickle's side and gazed at Kyle's lifeless body lying on the ground.
"This is... isn't this Kyle from the Aron family? ...Hmm, I heard he wasn't exactly well-behaved. Looks like he got stabbed in a fit of jealousy."
"Ah, ah, Father...!!"
"What's wrong?"
She turned to Chronosphere with a puzzled expression, and Ickle looked up at her with pleading eyes.
"Father, can you use your power to save Mr. Kyle...?"
For Ickle, the time spent with Kyle was only a few hours. But it was an unforgettable, enjoyable time. Ickle didn't know if it was romantic feelings, but Ickle undoubtedly had good intentions towards Kyle. That's why Ickle made the request.
"Hmm..."
Chronosphere stroked his beard and looked down at Ickle.
"Maybe, Ickle, you've fallen for Kyle?"
"...I, uh, don't know..."
"Hmm, well, let me ask you this instead. Can you use your ability to transform into Kyle?"
When asked, Ickle became aware of her "Supernatural Ability". She realized she could transform into Kyle's appearance from her sensory input.
She nodded silently.
"That's good... that's great."
"Huh?"
"No, it's nothing."
"Mmph..." Chronosphere stroked Ickle's head.
Then, with a sorrowful expression, he continued.
"However, it seems I also can't save Kyle. I don't have a record of his state when he was safe."
"Yeah... that's right."
A deep sense of sadness, as if mourning the death of someone they might have loved, filled Ickle's chest.
As Ickle hung her head, clutching her chest, Chronosphere used teleportation magic to transport Kyle and the girl's dismembered bodies somewhere else. They even included the bloodstains on the ground in the teleportation, a precise relocation.
And so, after erasing the evidence of the murder that had taken place here, Chronosphere turned to Ickle once more, with a mischievous grin like a child who had just thought of a prank.
"Ickle, if you can become Kyle, why don't you try being him for a while? You might find it useful somehow."
"Eh...?"
Chronosphere was proposing――no, ordering――Ickle to pretend to be Kyle, as if Kyle's death had never happened.
Ickle didn't know much about Kyle, but with Chronosphere's help, living as Kyle Aron wasn't that difficult.
Kyle was notorious as the "Aron family's prodigal son" and hardly ever returned home, so Ickle rarely had the chance to meet his real family.
And several months from now, the [Four Great Families of the Seals] will form the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ to counter the secret society Chronosphere. Ickle will join the labyrinth exploration as Kyle Aron, with the guidance of Chronosphere's god and the Chronosphere members within the Aron household.
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