An older man, completely bald and in his fifties, knelt down and started bowing repeatedly.
“Oh, oh—! God of Science…!”
“Um, excuse — please get up…!”
“Bestow your knowledge upon this humble servant─.”
No matter how many tis I tried to get him to stand up, he just stayed there, his shiny bald head glistening like a beacon. I let out a deep sigh. How on earth did it co to this?
Before I arrived here, I could never have imagined things ending up like this.
*
The Secret Scientific Society.
After I was invited to the Scholar, I imdiately inford Regalia.
Upon hearing that I was invited to the Scholar, she nodded as if she expected nothing less.
“You got into Scholar? That’s great.”
“Did you already know?”
“Of course! Why do you think I sent you there? That was the whole point.”
I suspected it would be sothing like that, but as expected, her reason for sending to the Superpower Society was indeed because of Scholar. I wondered how she even knew about such a small organization with fewer than ten mbers, but there was a good reason for that as well.
“Scholar is a group organized by various companies and governnts working together. Unless you’re one of those giant corporations that represent a city, you probably wouldn’t even know that it exists.”
“… So, Scholar is funded by the boss too?”
“Of course. Is that such a surprising fact?”
Regalia, who had been running an evil organization while also donating to the Hero Association, was unsurprisingly contributing to Scholar as well.
Well, if she’s throwing down a million dollars for upkeep and a hundred billion for research, it ans she has a serious cash flow. No couple of ordinary companies could casually throw that kind of money around.
“And another thing. I have yet another reason for sending you to join Scholar.”
“Sothing beyond the research funding?”
“If they needed money, I would have made you craft products and sell them, not send you off there. Anyway— since Scholar is backed by various companies and governnts, its mbers are under strict protection.”
According to Regalia, mbers of Scholar are regarded as humanity’s future torchbearers and treated as treasures that must be protected at all costs.
If I were to get kidnapped sowhere, the governnt would imdiately deploy all resources to rescue , and if any company tried to snatch , other companies and the governnt would step in to stop them.
Hearing this, I was amazed at Scholar’s greatness, but I couldn’t help but cock my head in confusion for a mont.
“So, they prevent companies from snatching … but I’m already a part of Evilus, right?”
“If you’re already part of an organization, they won’t attempt to poach you. Ha-ha! It also ans that other companies will help prevent you from escaping my grasp.”
Watching Regalia laugh like that, it was clear how much she wanted firmly under her control.
‘Not that I’m planning to leave or anything…’
I couldn’t tell if it was because she was born into wealth or if she just had never seen how other researchers lived. Regalia seed to think the amount of money and treatnt she provided with was insufficient.
Even though the reality was the complete opposite.
“You can use the research funding they provide as you please. I used to hate it when those governnt rats took money away from , but now that it’s you receiving it, it feels kind of nice.”
“… Is it really okay to use the money however I want?”
“Scholar is an organization that supports those leading humanity’s future. They don’t interfere much with mbers’ activities. Interference would stifle creativity, or so they say. Ah— of course, you won’t be able to use that money for your evil organization activities as well.”
Regalia, usually displeased about being forced into contributing to Scholar, seed quite happy that it was I who was now siphoning off research funds.
After all, if I, her subordinate, was skimming off money that other companies were also compelled to contribute, it must give her a feeling of victory. I nodded along, showing I understood.
“I’ll make sure to fleece every last cent from Scholar’s coffers.”
“Yes, fleece Scholar’s wallet and use the funds for your research…”
As she said that, Regalia suddenly paused, her eyes wide as she looked at .
“… Cancel that.”
“Excuse ?”
“The permission to use the money however you want? Cancelled. Consult with first before you touch any funds from Scholar.”
As I looked at Regalia, puzzled by this sudden change, she simply glared at as if to remind of my past actions.
I had nothing to say and just shrugged my shoulders.
If I can’t use it, it would just be disappointing, wouldn’t it…?
*
After finally reaching an agreent with the boss, I tried to ask for research funding from Scholar, but they said they’d explain the funding procedures and asked to co to their headquarters.
When I questioned why they couldn’t just lend the money without any conditions, I was retorted with a “Where would you find such a sweet deal?” I was at a loss for words.
The chairman had a reason for outright refusing my funding request. The support could be as high as a billion dollars. They weren’t just throwing money at whatever research you happen to be working on; it had to be directed toward sothing with a degree of persuasiveness.
This ant that even those backing Scholar weren’t just a bunch of guardian angels. After all, no giant global corporation would casually waste tens of billions on a research project they didn’t even understand.
“Welco, Mr. Eight.”
“Yes. Nice to et you.”
When I said I was heading to Scholar’s headquarters, it wasn’t long before a chauffeur arrived in front of the company. Considering how rare it was for anyone to know its existence or location, even Vira couldn’t accompany .
Leaving her with a slightly disappointed expression, I hopped into the vehicle. The windows turned pitch black, completely isolating the inside from the outside world. It was the sa technology I’d seen back in the Superpower Society’s chairman’s office.
“Please don’t be too surprised. The exact location is a secret even to the mbers, so it’s necessary.”
The driver explained this as he drove toward so unknown destination. With the windshield tinted black, I was both fascinated and curious how he could even see where he was going.
After a while, the vehicle finally ca to a stop. I felt a montary sensation as though we were moving up and down in an elevator, before the darkness enveloping the car lifted.
What revealed itself was a vast auditorium filled with machinery reminiscent of research facilities on Earth.
“Dr. Eight. Welco.”
As soon as I stepped out of the vehicle, the chairman approached with a big, goofy smile. Seamlessly taking the baton from the driver, he imdiately began leading inside and explaining the various equipnt set up around.
“That’s sothing we just developed…”
“Isn’t that a spatial acceleration device? A tool for controlling space-ti?”
“Oh— as expected from Dr. Eight. A genius can recognize such things just by looking, huh?”
“No. I’m just familiar with them.”
“Familiar…?”
Leaving the chairman looking perplexed behind , I began to wander around and examine the equipnt. As I looked at the machines, long-forgotten nostalgia began to bubble up in my mind.
The science experint kit my parents got when I was young, or the laboratory tools that were kept in school labs. While they may look different, seeing equipnt with similar functions was filling my head with mories.
“That wouldn’t be possible, though… Well, anyway. Let’s head inside. Another mber is here today, too.”
“Another mber?”
“Yes. Normally, mbers are holed up in their labs and seldom erge… but this ti, another doctor also ca to seek research funds. Quite the coincidence, isn’t it?”
The chairman told I didn’t have to et the other mber if I didn’t want to, but I was curious to get to know them. I wanted to see the faces of the other mbers and check out the level of geniuses who led the world.
When I nodded in agreent, wanting to et them, the chairman smiled broadly and led to another area. There stood a bald man in his fifties beside a beautiful woman dressed in a maid outfit.
“—Dr. Kuroid. This is Dr. Eight. Our eighth mber of Scholar.”
“… Huh? Now you’re letting in kids like this?”
“Kids? Watch your words. Dr. Eight has made truly groundbreaking discoveries in superpower research—”
“Enough. Hey, kid. Whatever you made, I’m not particularly interested. Whatever you did, I’m the genius who—”
“—Wait, isn’t this android made from Evilus’s line of toys? Impressive. It’s genuinely beyond what I ever imagined.”
Upon my complint, Dr. Kuroid suddenly halted and let out a short cough. It’s not easy to react sharply when soone praises you, especially when the praise is heartfelt.
And indeed, my complint carried genuine sincerity. I turned my gaze to the lovely maid standing next to Dr. Kuroid. At first, I thought she was just an assistant, but then I connected the dots upon hearing Dr. Kuroid’s na.
“So, this is the one made from the tens of thousands of circuits interconnected…”
Just as I assud at first glance, it truly was an astonishing creation. The idea of stitching together tens of thousands of circuits from a toy line to create a strong AI?
That’s as miraculous as linking thousands of abacuses to build a CPU or assembling a supercomputer using redstone blocks from Ma○necraft!
Theoretically possible, but no one had actually realized it due to the insane amount of labor it required; that’s what made it so impressive.
“He actually made this…”
But if there was one downside—
It was the fact that it was a device with no potential for future developnt, constrained by the clear limitations of its circuits.
With just a little tweak, it could have been improved.
Just a tiny bit…
“… Why are you staring at my Lucia like that, kid?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Dr. Kuroid.”
Dr. Kuroid began to shudder in anxiety.
I flashed a reassuring smile, trying to convey that I ant no harm.
Yet, he seed to grow even more anxious.
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