The Core of Evil

Mother Hera, The Double Body

"Cassidy is being treated. Please don't bother" the woman who was Mother's laboratory receptionist said

"I told you no, he'd refuse..." Noah whispered

Since I was tired of Fuyuki not attending, I decided to go to Mother Hera's lab and meet Cassidy

But strange. Everyone in this room...

They look very... Robotic

...

"I want to tour this place" I said to the receptionist, and somehow...

Everyone there immediately turned their heads in unison as if I were asking for something unreasonable

Not only that. They look so in sync with each other that I feel like I'm in a world of horror movies about aliens ruling the human body until they split one mind

"This place always gives me goosebumps..." Noah said, pull my shirt so we'd better get out

"For the tour..." The receptionist suddenly said, as the conditions there returned to normal. "You can do it. But don't go into room 1, because Cassidy or Psyche are being treated there" the receptionist continued

"The psyche? The code name belongs to Cassidy?" I asked Noah

"If it's not wrong, yes" he replied

Even Cassidy has the code name hm...?

"Mother Hera will meet you in person please wait here" the receptionist said, making us both look at each other before finally deciding to find a seat

"Huh. Hera it's really busy..." Noah complained, looking at the view of the room was very boisterous because everyone who passed by

"But somehow, they look like robots" I said

"Sort of Android is that, right? I also had time to think the same as you" Noah replied

Bizarrely. It's weird

I'm curious about everyone here, because it's not every day that I see Android. Even in Arcadia, Android is limited in its movement

"Wah~? Apparently my guests had waited a long time for their faces to wear off" A woman then greeted us

Unlike the others, the short-haired pink woman with a small mole on the rim of her nose looked very human. Even to the point he was very expressive

And he looks quite young, indistinguishable from the workers in this lab

"Come in. I'll take you around"

"Fucking hera. You used that body again apparently" Noah said as he woke up, making me realize who it was

"Heeh!? She's Mother Hera?"

He doesn't even look older than us...

Wait for. The shape of his body was also different from the silhouette I saw in the pillar room. Is this young girl really Mother Hera?

"Yes. She's Mother Hera. His original age was 40 years, and this was not his real body" Noah explained

"You'll get used to it, because I have thousands of replacement bodies"

Replacement body?

Oh, that explains why he can wear the younger {wadah}...

"Body Hop's. I didn't expect that theory to come true" I commented, extending my hand to Mother Hera. "Arthurian. You already know, but this is the first time we've met in person"

"Hera" He returned my hand by shaking it. "And yes. It took decades, but Body Hop is now just a habit for me" he added

He invited us to follow him around while we were looking around and he explained

And as the receptionist said, we were not at all invited into room 1, which was the room Cassidy was treated in

"Cassidy was put in a tube that could reduce Malefic's energy in her body. The boy was very unfortunate, had to go through this procedure once a month" Hera explained

"Once a month...?"

"Yes. I actually made a proposal for us to do the procedure once a week, but the chairman refused for humane reasons"

Uh... The chairman was not wrong

Although this is indeed a treatment, Cassidy must also at least have free time. If you take her time once a week, she won't be able to act like a child in general

"And also, if you pay attention, the horn of the deer eats Cassidy's emotions, so she can't be too expressive. The reason why I did this procedure to him was so that he could at least show some emotion again

Had I been 1 day late to find her at that time, Cassidy would definitely not have any feelings now..."

...

...

"Then, who made it that way?" Noah asked

"A dark organization that worships the Maledicts"

Huh huh?

"People like that exist?" I asked

"They are a bunch of fanatics who adore Maledict. Of course they will spread misfortune, and that's just them doing to {Honor} meet with the Maledicts" Hera added that explanation

"Snubbing..."

"And Maledict generally enjoyed it. You two are very strange examples of Maledict precisely" Hera then said

"Oh no thanks. Even if I were to become a full-fledged Maledict, I would definitely finish off such people if they were in front of me" I replied

"That's why I like you guys. A person who goes against the laws of nature is a special person. And every single one of the pillars could fall into that category"

Any people?

"Jackson can live without a physical body. I can do Body Hop. Ulysses and Cassidy made their curse a blessing. Raggot and Fuyuki make their past a sharp weapon. The two of you, along with Pinky and Hector, are Maledicts who refuse to be completely evil

Isn't it beautiful, against the laws of nature that should have been laid down upon us? Destiny resistance means a lot when yearning for a desired life, not a set one"

Now I get the picture

"And I'm impressed with you being able to choose a name for yourself. Not being tied to the choices of others is a destiny fight as well"

Hm...

"But, I chose Arthur's name just because I was impressed with the character"

"- Legendary figures on the Round Table saga and the Tragedy of Camelot. I know"

Uh-uh?

"Don't tell me, you're that..."

"Yes. I was born in Terra. Even though I don't care about that anymore"

...

"That story is my teacher's favorite"

"...!"

Hera started to glance slightly at me as we continued walking, finding my sad face

So he didn't talk anymore, as we were just asking questions and answering questions about every area in his lab area

After a while, our tour ended with me re-explaining what we saw, as Noah's brain was again charred until his ears let out smoke

"He's a real fool hm?"

"I'm sure flies are smarter"

Hera and I laughed to see Noah who still could not think because of the overload

Our tour was completely over, and you had to leave because it was already night

"Send our regards to Cassidy"

"certain. My other body is also taking care of it, so there's no need to worry"

"Ah, and one more thing"

This should be a mandatory question

"Your employees. Are they Android?" I whispered to Hera, who she then confirmed with a nod

"Can I borrow one?" I asked, which made him shake

"Mereka punya pikiran sendiri" Hera pun membalas dengan sebuah bisikan

Well, it's unfortunate...

But yes it is. I'd better go back because Noah looks so lost

"I'm saying goodbye, Mother"

Hera waved her hand to take us away

"Arthur"

...

His voice then called out to me as the automatic door began to close after we exited

"Arthur Pendragon is also my favorite character in the story"

The door was closed, making me capture the last picture of him that day with a smile on his lips

...

Arthur Pendragon's...

...

I want to re-read that story now...

"This big baby is also heavy..."