107 – The Queen of Seoul (4)

The Queen of Quantum regarded me with a somewhat disgruntled expression.

“You want to see… the Atypical Factor? What will seeing it change?”

“I don’t know. I have to see it to know.”

“…Child. Seo Jun-ah. Listen. Even seeing it won’t change much. I know my own body best. No doctor, no artisan, has been able to alter my remaining lifespan. Not even Seo Yeon, whom they call the best artisan in Seoul. The custom equipment she made is certainly to my liking… but it couldn’t twist what’s been decided…”

“Excuse me.”

I crossed my arms. Three hours. I had no intention of investing any more time than that right now.

My reason for being here was clear. Once the opening ceremony started, I had to seek out certain individuals who might appear.

So, if I was going to do anything, now, with the time I had free, was the moment. From the very beginning, I hadn’t come to cure her, had I? I didn’t want to let an unexpected incident cause me to lose sight of my original goal.

“I’m busy.”

“Huh… huh?”

“Since I’m busy, let’s just take a look. Whether it works or not, we’ll only know after seeing it. What? Don’t you want to extend your lifespan?”

“Well… it’s not that… why are you so bold…?”

“When someone offers to help out of goodwill, you should show them the way. It’s usually something you have to pay for, but they’re offering to do it for free.”

“………”

The Queen of Quantum blinked.

Then, she raised a slender hand, and spun a vintage object that resembled an old-fashioned rotary phone.

“…Yeah, it’s me. It’s me… Is the workshop open? Ah… yeah… Could you open it up a bit? There’s someone who wants to see me… External viewings are a problem? No, it’s not that… They just want to see my ability factor… Ah… yeah… I understand.”

The Quantum Queen abruptly ended the call. She stared at me intently.

“Shall we go right away?”

“Yes. I must go right away. But before that, I need to take care of my assistant.”

“Seo-yeon? Should I call her?”

“No. She’s more like a houseguest… I have a separate assistant.”

I snapped my fingers sharply.

Keeping her distance, Scarlet, who had been shadowing me from within the shadows, suddenly popped her head out from below the window.

“Master. Are you finished?”

The Quantum Queen flinched.

“…I couldn’t even detect her? What is she. Child. Is she not… alive?”

“She’s my assistant. Scarlet. All the integral tools are embedded, correct?”

“Yes. Master. Just leave it to me.”

“…Impossible… An android…? Is this level of technology even possible in this era…?”

I turned to face the Quantum Queen.

“Let’s go. To the workshop. It was called… Eternal Workshop, wasn’t it? Please clear out all the artisans affiliated with it.”

“Why?”

“Because they’ll inevitably be beside me saying ‘You can’t do that’ or something, making a racket. I dislike anyone interfering during my work.”

“…You have a very firm conviction.”

“I know from experience.”

The Quantum Queen nodded.

“…Well. It’s not like it’s impossible. They’re all my children anyway. I won’t have high expectations… Do as you please, then.”

. . .

Eternal Workshop.

We arrived at a place where an entire massive building was being used as a single workshop.

As if my request had been heeded beforehand, there was no one inside. If there were…

There were Lee Seo-yeon, whom I already knew, and a blonde woman with a similar atmosphere to her.

They were glaring at each other as if about to tear each other apart any second now.

“How brazen. Lee Seo-yeon. After leaving, to return as you please.”

“Say it correctly, Lee Chae-yeong. I didn’t return. I merely attended a party.”

“Acting like inspiration is just… lacking, huh? After all that talk, you’re looking for it at some party?”

“I already found it. Coming right over. Step aside, Lee Chaeyoung.”

“Call me ‘unni’.”

“We’re the same age.”

“My birthday’s earlier.”

“Like two months makes a difference.”

“Two months is nothing to sneeze at!”

Caught in their sisterly squabble, I turned to the Queen of Quantum, a touch awkward.

“Didn’t you say you’d clear everyone out?”

“Those two don’t listen to me much. But they’re not loud, at least…shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“…Must be tough.”

“…Thanks for understanding.”

I took them in with a sweeping glance.

“So…Lee Seoyeon, is it?”

“Yes. Guild Master.”

“And beside you, your older sister?”

Lee Seoyeon’s brow furrowed.

“Not my unni, we’re the same age. Her name is Lee Chaeyoung. In the early days of the Eternal Workshop, we were known as the two pillars.”

The platinum-blonde woman cut in, a sharp edge to her voice.

“Unni. And you must be Lee Seojun?”

“Yes, that’s right… “

“As you just heard, my name is Lee Chaeyoung. I’m the owner of this Workshop. Did you request to examine the Boss’s aptitude factor? I want to make something clear upfront. The Boss’s aptitude factor is special. Not just anyone can handle it.”

“The Guild Master isn’t just anyone, Chaeyoung.”

“I told you, call me unni. Even if you’re a skilled artisan, changing what’s already set is impossible.”

“The Guild Master can do it.”

“Just be quiet, please. Don’t butt in.”

I looked back to the Queen of Quantum.

“You said they weren’t loud?”

“…Can you two just be quiet? Is this how you treat a guest?”

At the Queen’s words, they both fell silent, like scolded daughters.

Only then could I enter the workshop’s depths. The uppermost floor. At the far end of a tangle of complex machinery and equipment lay her Ability Factor.

Lee Chaeyoung, of course, had to open her mouth again.

“Even if you look, you wouldn’t kno—”

“Could you shut that trap, please? I can’t concentrate.”

“…That was a rather rude thing to say…”

I furrowed my brow deeply. Lee Seoyeon followed suit, mimicking my expression.

“Just be quiet, Lee Chaeyoung.”

“What kind of manners are those to your older sister?”

“The Workshop Master told you to be quiet. You shouldn’t disturb her while she’s working.”

“…Just looking at it isn’t exactly ‘working’…”

Ignoring her grumbling completely, I peered at her Ability Factor.

Extracted and separated, the Ability Factor. Its structure examined through the magnifier.

“…Hmm.”

She was right.

Life expectancy. You could definitely see it was running out. The very structure of the Ability Factor seemed fragile, as if it were about to collapse at any moment.

…Indeed.

I understood why she was willing to accept her fate quietly. This was, quite literally, cellular aging. Just like the natural order of things.

And beyond that…

Each individual structure was twisted. Beyond its original form, as if intentionally designed solely to maximize output.

If an Ability Factor like this was dispersed throughout the entire body…

“Doesn’t it hurt?”

“…Huh?”

“Doesn’t it hurt? It’s strange. Every moment you spend walking must be a continuous stream of agony, surely? It’s like you’ve intentionally deformed your entire body. You don’t feel any pain at all? Really?”

The Quantum Queen blinked.

A raspy sound escaped her throat.

“…You can see that? No one else has ever noticed it…”

“Of course I can see it. Ability Factors are closely linked to the nervous system. With a structure like this…it’s a wonder you can even walk.”

“The Ability Factor…is closely linked to the nervous system…?”

“Not just the nervous system, but the entire body’s structure as a whole. Normally, Ability Factors are designed not to harm the body, but…this is a literal deformation. Intentionally twisted, so that it doesn’t mesh with the body’s structure at all. It’s purely to expand the ability’s power. That’s why the life expectancy is so short. The body and the Ability Factor are in conflict with each other, so naturally, the lifespan will be shortened.”

“…Then, is there…a way to fix it…?”

“The method…”

I rolled emerging thoughts around in my head.

Hmm. This is it. Literally, this is it.

The Ability Factor is already aged. Aged beyond repair. Even if we slathered it with lubricant right now, the life expectancy would remain the same.

…But.

Look at this. There’s a reason why the Ability Factor is said to be special.

“You’re a multiple Ability user, aren’t you?”

Lee Chaeyoung, who had been quiet, subtly joined the conversation.

“You can see that just from looking at me for a few minutes?”

“Of course, I can see it. You have… a lot of Abilities. Fifteen? No, sixteen. The unique thing is that they’re all related to blood.”

“Sixteen…? No, the Boss’s Ability only has nine…b-but, just from looking at the simple structure…you can know the Ability’s form, its wavelength, and even the Ability itself?”

“Not exactly. It’s just a rough estimate. A very rough estimate. I’d have to examine them one by one with tests for a more precise understanding. But first, the one we need to look at more closely is…”

A complex holographic image of the Ability Factor’s internal structure appeared.

It zoomed in on a section.

“See here?”

Everyone narrowed their eyes at the image, which looked like a greatly magnified cell.

“I see it…Lord of the Workshop. What are you trying to say?”

Can’t you see this?

I cleared my throat lightly.

“There are sixteen Abilities hidden within this single Ability Factor. The important thing is that they were shoved in haphazardly, like throwing darts hoping one will stick, so some can’t even properly exert their power.”

“……. “

“You said nine, right? That’s also correct. The other seven were so deeply hidden that even you weren’t aware of them. But fortunately, there is one among them that can resolve this crisis.”

“Resolve this crisis…?”

The Quantum Queen blinked.

I lightly snapped my fingers.

“An overwhelming regenerative power that can completely regenerate the aged Ability Factor. That’s hidden within one of them. The other supplemental Abilities…they’ll be helpful enough. Let’s see… two hours left, right?”

“Two hours, indeed, Master.”

Too short to create dedicated equipment.

But enough time to pull off a simple trick.

Leaving Scarlett behind me as she began to pull out numerous makeshift tools, I examined the Quantum Queen.

“Just a taste, I’ll give you. Sixteen abilities, all of them. What it feels like to wield every single one. Temporary, though…a brief return, beyond even your prime. Of course, it’s not proper, dedicated equipment, so at most, a minute…? That’s about the limit. A fleeting experience of awakening, felt in every cell.”

The Quantum Queen blinked.

She looked bewildered, a cold sweat beading on her brow.

“…Just what… are you going on about…?”

Still doesn’t understand, huh.

I replied curtly.

“Wait, and you’ll see.”