TRPM 49

chapter 49

“Everyone is making such a fuss….”

In the end, I was hospitalized due to a cerebral hemorrhage of unknown cause.

Of course, I understood why others were worried about me.

Yeon Mirae knew I was a high-ranking, powerful person, but the others didn’t.

“Even Yeon Mirae pushed me into bed, saying I should rest properly this time.”

Thinking that, I lay down on the bed and decided to meditate…

“Geon-woo, dear? Is there any pain anywhere?”
“No….”

I had just intended to meditate when the doctor’s rounds came.

I had no choice but to sit up properly and follow the nurse’s instructions.

After placing a device on my head and running several tests, the nurse contacted the doctor.

“Doctor, about patient Geon-woo… since he’s an Awakener, it seems his recovery is complete.”
[Even for an Awakener, it was a cerebral hemorrhage. He wasn’t given any particular treatment, and yet he recovered in just a day? And the cause hasn’t been identified yet. We don’t know when another hemorrhage might occur, so keep the hemostatics and sedatives ready.]
“Yes, doctor.”

… I stared blankly at the nurse.

So basically, they didn’t trust my recovery, which meant my hospitalization would be extended.

Unaware of my thoughts, the nurse reassured me there was nothing to worry about, then went to check on other patients in the room.

For reference, I was in a four-person room.

My family wasn’t wealthy enough to afford a single room.

Yeon Mirae had offered to chip in, but my mother said no, not wanting to burden Yeon Mirae despite her closeness.

“Honestly, being hospitalized itself is a waste….”

Others aside, I had no good way to explain this to my mother, so I decided to stay obediently in the hospital.

While I was thinking that, a man entered our room.

A blonde, blue-eyed… doll named Arthur.

“… Huh…?”

Wait a second.

Why are you here?

“(Ah, you’re here. Arthur?)”
“(Hello, Rachel.)”

Arthur greeted a woman on the next bed, who was having her blood pressure taken by a nurse.

Of course, in English.

Even though we were in Korea, foreigners naturally spoke in the language familiar to them when talking among themselves.

“… Huh? Come to think of it, can men and women normally share a hospital room like this?”

That must be illegal.

I thought that for a moment but let it go—it was the hospital’s business.

Seeing that all the other beds were occupied by women, maybe I simply wasn’t considered a factor because I was still a child.

Or perhaps the room assignment depended on the gender of the guardian.

What concerned me more was the doll named Arthur.

“Rachel seems to be an international student the same age as Yeon Mirae… but why is she admitted to a local hospital instead of the academy’s hospital or one in her home country?”

Was it just because Korea has good medical insurance?

But if that were the case, why choose a neighborhood hospital instead of a general hospital near the academy?

I considered other hypotheses, but none felt correct. I knew nothing about Rachel.

“If I had to guess…”

Perhaps Rachel is the puppeteer controlling the doll named Arthur.

However, that didn’t explain why she was admitted to this hospital.

“The examination is complete. Please rest.”
“Ah, thank you.”

The nurse finished examining Rachel and went to another patient.

Rachel then asked the doll:

“(Arthur, how was the academy today?)”
“(It was tough. But I gained a lot from it.)”

The conversation seemed a bit strange.

… Could it be that Rachel isn’t actually controlling Arthur?

I checked their magical energy immediately.

“… No, Rachel is definitely the puppeteer controlling Arthur.”

The magical energy flowing through Arthur matched Rachel’s.

More importantly, with my ability to perceive the essence of things, I could feel the connection between them.

That confirmed that Rachel was controlling Arthur. Yet, she spoke to him as if he were an independent personality.

“(I lost in the duel against the Aura Master Yeon Mirae. I guess she held back last time.)”
“(Really? So just remembering sword techniques isn’t enough to match a true Aura Master?)”
“……”

Was this a dual-role act… or…

“Does Arthur really have the ability to think for himself…?”

If Rachel developed an AI and installed it in Arthur’s head, this kind of conversation could make sense.

… Still, I had no idea why she was admitted here.

While I was thinking that…

“Oh, another foreign young man is here. Come and have a drink…”
“Oh, no. I’m fine.”
“When an adult offers, you just take it…”

An elderly woman lying across from us said this to Arthur.

Reluctantly, Arthur accepted the drink, and Rachel smiled as she watched him and the lady.

“… Seems like Rachel has been hospitalized for quite some time…”

Arthur probably visits often under the pretext of visiting her.

So the elderly woman recognized him and was pleased to see him.

“… Why am I even bothering to speculate about this?”

Whatever Rachel’s reason for being hospitalized, it was none of my concern.

Thinking that, I rested my head on the pillow and closed my eyes.

I didn’t cross my legs.

Although meditation is better performed cross-legged, my goal was simply to organize my thoughts and realizations, not to do any ritualistic practice.

“… I’ve seen too much recently.”

The space inside the rift I opened to sneak into the academy.

The incomprehensible things I saw there.

I was sure understanding them would provide new insight or serve as a stepping stone to the next level.

Even if there was nothing left after fully understanding it.

I closed my eyes and tried to sort through my thoughts during meditation…

“Geon-woo, I’m here. You’re not in pain, right? Is there anything you want to eat or drink?”
“……”

Yeon Mirae entered the room and asked me that.

… It was still a relief that she treated me like a child in front of others instead of calling me her teacher.

I finished meditating and looked at Yeon Mirae.

“Uh… hmm…? What is it…?”
“Nothing… nothing at all.”

Even though I said that, Yeon Mirae sensed my anger and broke into a nervous sweat.

Watching her, I sighed and glanced at the paper bag she was holding in both hands.

It seemed she had bought drinks and snacks as a get-well gift…

Everything made sense except for one thing.

“What’s that, sister?”
“This? It’s a Spathiphyllum, good for purifying the air…”

As she spoke, a nurse examining another patient looked at her awkwardly.

“Excuse me… guardian? Bringing plants in is against regulations…”
“Huh?”
“Put it in the interspace immediately.”
“Okay… got it.”

Following the nurse’s instruction, Yeon Mirae placed the plant into the bracelet on her arm.

She apologized to the nurse, then took a drink, opened it, inserted a straw, and handed it to me.

“Geon-woo… ah…”
“……”

I kept my mouth shut while watching her.

On the surface, she seemed to be acting like she usually does in front of my mother, treating me like a child.

But having observed her over a long time, I knew:

‘Why is she like this today…?’

She wasn’t acting.

She was genuinely trying to take care of me as if I needed protection, doing everything she could from A to Z.

Had she suddenly awakened maternal instincts?

Of course, I wasn’t her son.

“… Yeon Mirae?”

Arthur, the doll on the adjacent bed, also looked shocked at Yeon Mirae’s behavior.

It was completely different from her usual demeanor at the academy.

“Hmm? Arthur? Why are you here…?”
“Uh… an acquaintance of mine is hospitalized here… Why are you…?”
“Same here.”

Immediately, Yeon Mirae’s gaze shifted to Rachel.

That alone was probably enough to deduce Rachel was Arthur’s puppeteer.

“Hmm…?”

Yeon Mirae looked back and forth between Arthur and Rachel, amused. Arthur was bewildered, and Rachel blushed, realizing her secret was revealed.

Yeon Mirae took me, Arthur, and Rachel to the hospital café.

She then asked Arthur and Rachel for details about their story…

“Hmm… so to summarize, you wanted a boyfriend, so you made a doll your boyfriend? And a high-performance doll that can think for itself?”
“Th-That makes it sound weird!”
“Summed up like that, it’s not wrong, is it?”

Rachel blushed at Yeon Mirae’s teasing summary.

But even I didn’t think Yeon Mirae’s summary was wrong.

Rachel wanted to avoid meeting acquaintances, so she chose a neighborhood hospital instead of one near the academy.

Unfortunately, I happened to be admitted to that hospital, and in the next bed, which led to meeting Yeon Mirae.

“I respect your preferences.”
“You’re just teasing me, aren’t you? Also, you say things you wouldn’t normally say in front of a kid!”
“Don’t worry. Geon-woo’s ears are blocked with aura.”

Of course, that was a lie by Yeon Mirae.

Even if she blocked my ears with internal energy, my senses could still easily pick up their conversation, making the “protection” meaningless.

“Ahahaha…”

Arthur awkwardly laughed while watching the two engage in their banter.

… Is this really artificial intelligence?

Or did they put a human soul into the doll?