༺ S2. Resentment Wished Upon The Stars – 3 ༻
On the third day of their stay at Abraham’s house.
Bennett reinforced the mansion with magic. This included magic for detecting intruders, Interception Magic, and others. Finally, he was able to get some sweet sleep. Until then, he had been pulling all-nighters.
Niolle once again suggested that she could take the night watch so he could sleep, but he still wasn’t completely reassured. After all, he didn’t trust her enough. Of course, though, if a suspicious person entered, she might be able to discern where that person was hiding weapons, which hand they primarily used, and even trivial details.
However, he was concerned that if the suspicious person carried a baby and tried to appeal to her better emotions, she might completely fall for it.
Tara had become quite close to Abraham. The reason was unclear, but now she was on a first-name basis with him, without even adding the honorific of ‘Professor’. She claimed it was because ‘you said you needed to gather information and that’s what I’ve been doing all day. Do you have a problem with that?’. But it was obvious that she was more so just enjoying herself.
And Niolle had been debating for three days whether to read the diary she had found earlier. She kept feeling like she was being sucked into somewhere in her dreams.
It was a strange sensation, similar to what she felt from the diary, making her hesitate about investigating it further.
They were gradually getting used to life in this place. They had divided the household chores among themselves. Niolle cleaned the mansion, Bennett took care of the occasional heavy lifting and defense of the mansion, and Tara was assigned the task of doing absolutely nothing and lazing around.
Then one day, it all started at the dining table.
===============================================================
#2 : Abraham’s Research
Tara split a well-cooked fried egg in half with a knife, letting the soft yolk flow out. She dipped the bacon with her fork and took a bite along with the egg, rich in yolk. Ang.
While savoring the taste of breakfast, Tara asked Abraham.
“What are you working on, Abraham?”
As the old man was about to start explaining, Bennett pointed at Tara with his fork and sharply criticized her.
“Do not talk with your mouth full.”
“Don’t concern yourself with how I eat!”
“We can see all the contents in your mouth. It is off-putting. So much so that it makes me lose my appetite.”
“Then bury your nose in your plate so you can’t see! What do I care!”
As Tara growled at Bennett, Niolle scribbled a sentence on her whiteboard. And then, she lifted it up high.
[Still, I don’t think it’s a good habit! It looks rude, after all!]
“If Niolle says so……”
Bennett clenched his fist in frustration and chagrin. Why did the Saintess always shit on only me? Is it because of my face?
He glanced at the mirror. Although he had a scar on half of his face, he didn’t think his appearance was bad enough to be cursed at……
Abraham smiled warmly at this scene. After all, it reminded him of bickering siblings. It was the appearance of a peaceful family he had once imagined.
After chewing and swallowing his bacon, the old man answered Tara’s question.
“On days I have lectures, I go teach, and on days I’m free, I do research. Are you curious about what kind of research I do?”
“Yes! Abraham, you always go up to the rooftop after sunset, don’t you?”
“There is no reason to hide it. Would you like to come up with me after dinner? Not just Tara……but all of you. It will surely be a wonderful experience.”
Pure child-like excitement sparkled in Abraham’s eyes. He seemed to have great affection and interest in his work.
Everyone was curious about Abraham’s research, thus expressing their interest in their own ways.
So, as evening came, Abraham led them up to the rooftop after dinner.
When climbing up the trapdoor on the second floor, they immediately found themselves on the mansion’s rooftop. There were various items in that place. Stacks of paper and a quill, a primitive calculator, several books about celestial bodies, and a long, elongated telescope.
“I teach astronomy at the university, you see.”
“By astronomy……Do you mean astrology?”
At Bennett’s question, Abraham slowly shook his head.
“Assigning meanings to stars and wishing upon them is certainly romantic, but it is not the job of a scientist. We observe and analyze. Our mission is to illuminate the various unknowns, as countless as the stars in the night sky, one by one.”
Abraham pointed to the sky with his wrinkled fingers. The stars twinkled on the black canvas and the moon seemed to smile gently down at the earth.
However, the old man’s eyes seemed to be reading even more things than just that.
“How stars are born, age, and die. What lies in the voids of space. The extent of a star’s gravitational pull. And besides that, there are many other mysteries besides that we are battling against.”
[Do stars also die?]
“Over unimaginably long periods, they die. To humans living short lives, the universe may seem eternal. But nothing lasts forever.”
[⋯⋯⋯⋯.]
“Recently, the skies have been unusually clear, making the stars very visible. Opportunely, there’s even a great sample to observe. Would you like to see it?”
Abraham carefully stroked the large tripod-mounted telescope. Tara rushed forward and quickly sat down in front of the telescope. Meanwhile, Niolle waited in line behind her with an expression full of fluttering excitement.
Under the old man’s guidance, Tara observed the stars in the night sky. Within that pitch-black darkness, there were twinkling dots embedded, revealing their light.
“There’s a star shining considerably brighter than the others, huh?”
“Just as every person looks different, so do the stars. There is a particularly interesting constellation over there……”
Tara spent a long time gazing at the night sky, even enduring Niolle’s impatient prodding at her back as if to say she looked at it long enough. She asked Abraham for the names of stars, listened, and shared her impressions.
When Abraham gently suggested it might be time to let her friend have a turn, Tara, like a child seeking attention, slowly nodded and reluctantly moved aside. Finally, it was Niolle’s turn at the telescope.
To Niolle, the stars of this Otherworld felt……..closer than those in her own world. Both were unreachable, yet somehow, when she looked up at the night sky, it felt like they were within grasp.
It was almost as if they could descend at any moment.
Niolle was filled with a strange fear, goosebumps rising all over her body, yet was still fascinated by the sensation of the universe drawing near, slightly parting her lips as she counted the stars.
Bennett, preferring not to use the telescope, looked up at the sky with his naked eye and asked.
“Are you conducting research on the stars?”
“To be more specific……I’m studying the strange changes in the night sky that have occurred recently.”
“Changes? In the night sky?”
“Yes, it is truly odd. These events started 5 years ago. Stars that should have been there would disappear overnight. New stars would appear. And the distances between stars suddenly increased……..thus warping the shapes of the constellations. Wait, did you see that?”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
A star flickered out. Bennett clearly saw a star being swallowed by the darkness. It was an extremely miniscule visual change. But a corner of Bennett’s heart turned chilly at the sight of it.
Abraham testified about the rapid changes in the universe. As mentioned before, the scale of time for the universe was vastly different from how humans perceive time. Notable changes in the night sky should be observed over the accumulated eons of history.
Yet, strangely, rapid changes had occurred and were continuing to occur as well.
The universe was always leisurely while humans were in a hurry. But now, that age-old relationship had reversed. The universe was now altering its form, wriggling as if a fire was lit under it.
Old constellations were dismantling and new constellations drew unfamiliar and eerie shapes. Moreover, in a pace far too fast for human cognition to follow.
The elderly astronomer shared his hypothesis.
“I suspect a massive energy invisible to the human eye…….is traversing the universe. Like how everything in nature becomes entangled during a storm, a cosmic natural disaster is passing through.”
“A storm……you say?”
“Yes. A colossal cosmic storm beyond any possible human intervention. I am…….researching which direction this massive energy is moving. Whether it is approaching Earth, moving away, or merely passing by.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
Bennett imagined a hypothetical natural disaster. A 『Meteor Strike』 cast by an Archwizard could obliterate a city and then some. Then, if such an immense energy approached, erasing countless stars and moving actively… What form would it take? He vaguely imagined an invisible gigantic hand.
A gigantic hand, slowly covering an ant.
Though the specifics were unknown to him, one thing was certain.
“Everyone will die.”
“Indeed, everything will vanish in vain. Before anyone would know it. The civilization, knowledge, and history that humanity has built will return to cosmic dust. The universe will forget that the human species ever existed.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“I’m calculating the relative acceleration value α. If this value exceeds 1, the massive energy is approaching Earth. If it’s less than 1, it would be a great fortune for humanity.”
The death of everything. It was a concept that Bennett had never once considered before. He had assumed the world would naturally continue even if he died somewhere. Thinking about the end of a world seemed like something only nutcases would consider.
Enemies and friends. The earth, grass, and wind. Everything would die, scattering as mere dust; nothing could be more futile than that.
Only God would exist in the void left by everyone’s death.
Bennett felt a complex emotion. It was like he was overwhelmed, yet it was emptily similar to despair. And furthermore, that emotion was tinged with fear. It was a ‘loathful feeling’ that was hard to precisely articulate. So, he asked Abraham.
“Have you finished your calculations?”
“In a few days, I’ll have enough data. But it is a massive calculation that one old man and a calculator alone can’t handle. After all, to gauge the universe, enormous numbers are needed. I’ll need to seek help from friends.”
“Help, you say? What help?”
“I have a friend with quite an interesting device. It has computational abilities far beyond the human brain. I think it was called a Brain In A Vat. And I could borrow that machine for the calculations……”
Abraham stroked his beard, then…
“The Number Devil lives in Miskatonic University. He is known as Lot Russell1Okay, this is a VERY interesting reference. The Number Devil is an actual book for children and young adults that explores mathematics. It was originally written in 1997 in German by Hans Magnus Enzensberger and illustrated by Rotraut Susanne Berner. In the Number Devil, there is a “red-skinned figure” who is referred to as the Number Devil. And a lot of other novels parody this. When there is a math genius, they are sometimes portrayed as a “red devil” Now, here is where it gets interesting. Lot is the name of a red devil in the webtoon, Denma (a korean manhwa). Hence where the name “Lot” comes from. Additionally, in the Number Devil (book), a figure called Bertrand Arthur William Russell comes out. He’s the 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS and was a British mathematician, philosopher, and public intellectual. He had influence on mathematics, logic, set theory, and various areas of analytic philosophy. So, the name “Russell” comes from this book as well! Hence, Lot Russell. Thanks for coming to my ted talk. of the Mathematics Department. He is a bit sensitive and irritable, but he’s better at crunching numbers than anyone I know. If it’s him, he might be able to calculate the α value.”
He explained the two possible scenarios that could be used to calculate the α value, before concluding his words. And then, after glancing once at Tara…
“The late night is chilly, isn’t it? Tara’s cheeks are already red. How about we head down? I’ll make some warm cocoa. A cup will help you sleep deeply.”
“Yes, Abraham! It’s the second cabinet on the left, right? I’ll help you!”
“Very well.”
The explanation had ended. Tara helped Abraham down the trapdoor stairs. Bennet, about to follow, noticed Niolle still glued to the telescope. He tapped her shoulder.
“Niolle?”
“………..Euah.”
With a flinch, Niolle jolted greatly and let out a small, almost inarticulate cry before looking up at Bennett with wide eyes.
“…….Did I startle you?”
[I’m sorry, I was just so focused…… Have Abraham and Tara already gone down?]
“That’s right. Abraham mentioned making cocoa. You like that, don’t you?”
[I do like sweet things. We should hurry down then.]
Niolle quickly got up and trotted down. Bennett, curious about what had captivated her, took a look through the telescope.
There was nothing.
“⋯⋯⋯⋯?”
The night sky Niolle had been observing was devoid of twinkling stars. And only a vast emptiness remained. Did her keen observation skills perhaps notice something?
Despite intently focusing his eyes for a while, as expected, Bennett discovered nothing. Shaking his head, he left the rooftop.
Later, he unknowingly drank the special cocoa with marshmallows that Tara had prepared for herself…
Thus, there was a small incident where Tara shook Bennett by the collar in fury.
===============================================================
#3 : Threat Letter
During their stay together, Abraham had made just one request. Do not open any parcels that don’t have a sender indicated. Is what he asked for.
Given Abraham’s otherwise forgiving nature, even towards Tara making a mess out of the mansion, this request sparked a great amount of curiosity.
Tara adhered to Abraham’s instructions as if it were second nature, but Niolle and Bennett were different. They were on the lookout for an opportunity to check what exactly was in such mail.
While Abraham was away to lecture at Miskatonic University…
Bennett had chased Tara out by nagging at her to, ‘Please, try to keep the room clean. After all, it is not a pigsty, but a place where humans live. How can you spill things everywhere?’. Since she would grudgingly clean up after herself, it meant there was time.
And there it was, an unmarked parcel right in front of them.
[Should we open it?]
“It might be a trap, so be careful.”
[I can smell something rotting.]
“A rotting smell, you say……”
Bennett drew his longsword for the first time in a while. It was so that he could cut down anything that might spring out. Like a small Undead or something. Niolle also remained cautious as she used a stick to maintain distance and opened the parcel.
“⋯⋯⋯⋯!”
Niolle grimaced and stepped back, covering her mouth. Bennett, too, frowned and clicked his tongue after seeing the contents of the box.
A gruesomely mutilated corpse of a cat and a warning note made in the form of a collage.
Abraham, stop your research and follow the will of God.
It was a chilling warning. Considering Abraham’s plea to them, such threatening messages had apparently been sent repeatedly.
The perpetrator was likely connected to the suspicious individuals surveilling the mansion. The likelihood of it ending with just a warning was slim.
“……Are they trying to stop the research? Why?”
[The purpose is unknown, but malice is palpable.]
“Agreed. They might even attack while we are staying here……”
What was the reason? For what purpose was this letter sent?
It was a mystery that could not be solved just yet.
