Story Reader / Main Story / 25 Everglowing Justice / Story
Utopia... was a wonderful place. I've lived there for as long as I can remember.
They took in many children and Constructs. Some Constructs formed the Aurora Squadron, while others were charged with maintaining the operation of Utopia.
The person in charge of Utopia... was Dr. Pickman.
Dr. Pickman made many rules for Utopia, teaching us about truth and justice through beautiful songs, telling us that we must follow them so that we could contribute to the world when we grew up.
Devote everything to kindness and love. Never disregard what is righteous...
Walk in the path of wisdom without arrogance or faltering...
Be fair, be just, be humble, be prudent...
You're here, Doctor.
Alisa? Did you study hard today?
The scrawny, middle-aged man watches the young child lovingly with his golden eyes.
Of course! Didn't I tell you that I'm going to be the best prefect in Utopia?
I know the Utopia Protocols like the back of my hand!
Good girl.
Should I reward you with your favorite snack during dinner? The orange-flavored one you love?
Thank you!
The man with golden eyes smiles as he leans down and pats young Alisa on the shoulders.
I know Alisa is going to be the best of us.
It's almost time, Doctor.
Ah. I almost forgot the important thing.
—Come with me for a second. There's something I need your help with for the experiment.
Yes, Doctor.
Pickman nods at the teacher, and the teacher immediately puts down the textbook and follows Pickman out of the room.
Adults and their business...
Her lesson interrupted, Alisa puts down her book at a loss.
But study time isn't over yet... What should I do?
I'll go find Cecily! Cecily has the best stories. That also counts as "studying," I think!
Having ruminated about what to do, Alisa happily decides the plan for the rest of her study time.
Inside Utopia, a couple of Constructs are sitting or standing in a quiet corner, focusing on their work.
Good morning, Cecily.
Alisa intentionally lowers her voice as she carefully runs to a Construct with long, purplish-gray hair. She holds her skirt up slightly and performs a complicated curtsy.
...Alisa? Is your class over already?
The female Construct named Cecily smiles gently and tucks away her hair before she reaches out, performing a curtsy in return and gesturing for Alisa to sit down.
What did you learn today?
The teacher didn't teach anything new. We just revisited the Utopia Protocols today.
The teacher got called away halfway through class. I suppose there was something important that needed to be done...
Cecily looks down, complicated emotions flashing past her eyes.
I see... How about I tell you a story?
Yeah!
Do you remember where we were last time, Alisa?
Little Eliza was going to look for her brothers!
Poor Eliza... I wouldn't have known what to do.
Right... Eliza ran into an old woman in the woods. The kind woman told her about the eleven crowned swans swimming along the nearby river.
The old woman gave Eliza some fruits and guided her to a winding river ahead of them. After saying goodbye to the kind woman, Eliza walked along the river until she reached the beautiful ocean.
The waves from the ocean produced eleven white swan feathers. When the sun was about to set, little Eliza saw eleven crowned swans descending from the sky...
Alisa raises a hand to indicate that she has something to say.
Alisa? Do you have a question?
What does the ocean look like?
Cecily pauses and tucks her hair away again before holding Alisa in her arms.
The ocean... is where many rivers and streams converge. It is endless and boundless, so expansive that it looks like it will go on forever.
I've seen a golden ocean when its waves reflected the morning light. I've seen a pink ocean during the golden hours of twilight. I've seen its water at its darkest blue during a storm...
Whoa...
Alisa listens to Cecily's description longingly.
You'll see the ocean one day, Alisa.
She smiles as she caresses Alisa's forehead.
Really? Like Eliza did?
Of course.
Little Eliza held onto her kindness and purity, which was why the evil queen's toad magic failed to take hold. She could only reunite with her brothers in the end because she never gave up.
So, there is nothing you need to fear as long as you let nothing change you. Justice is bound to echo through the land, and eventually...
The door to the room opens, and a female Construct enters, subtly poking Cecily.
Ahem.
Nata!
...
Alright, Alisa. We'll end today's story here, okay?
I have to follow Utopia's rules and do my "job" now.
...Okay!
Despite how much she wants to keep listening to Eliza's story, Alisa nods cooperatively.
Goodbye, Cecily! Goodbye, Nata!
Alisa jumps down from the chair next to Cecily and performs a standard salute before departing.
Ah... I forgot my book.
Alisa realizes she has forgotten something before she walks out the door.
Turning around, she notices Nata saying something to Cecily.
Cecily, you know full well...
She's just a kid, Nata. She doesn't understand anything. Don't blame a child for the sin. We should be the ones working hard.
...Forget it. I was being rash. Alisa... is a good kid.
Have you found those people? Do any of them show any inclination to escape this place?
...Pickman has been too good to them. He's basically flawless—providing food, sufficient water, plentiful care... and fair rules.
They all see Pickman as their savior, believing that he is sincerely building this place as a real utopia.
I released a lot of internal information on the lab, but they... wouldn't believe it.
Yeah...
There are enough supplies in this place—food, sufficient water, fair rules... Who can say no to these things in this day and age?
Does he not love everyone in this Utopia sincerely? He's done plenty, indeed.
He even punished the leading figures who caused the disturbance only because they disrupted Utopia's order...
Cecily!
Don't get angry. These are the truths.
But you know how Zikka...
I know, which is why I'll think of a way. There's no use rushing, Nata.
Have you gotten the code to the door outside?
I got it. I've placed it somewhere they'd never think of.
...I'll arrange what happens later. Don't be impulsive—we will escape this place with Zikka and Arabella.
Justice will eventually prevail, won't it?
...Enough with these lies for children.
We wouldn't have been in this hell if justice existed...
Nata pushes the door open angrily and leaves.
...My teacher told me not to interrupt people's conversation, so Cecily had also left by the time I knocked on the door.
I didn't understand what Cecily was saying back then, but now...
She must have thought about leaving as well. Unfortunately... I figured it out too late.
Although Echo's sadness seems genuine, you cannot let down your guard just because of a short story.
Cecily... You seem to have seen this name before.
Was it from the annual list of deceased Constructs or somewhere else? If "Cecily" was a Babylonia Construct, there must be a file on her up there.
Echo lowers her head slightly. The fabled armor-like "Kurono test subject" sits right beside her, gently touching Echo's shoulders.
Dr. Pickman even sounds like a rare altruist from Echo's descriptions.
Food, sufficient water, plentiful care, fair rules... Even Babylonia cannot guarantee these to everyone who enters a conservation area now.
Why would those Constructs plan to escape if that was the case?
...I was the cause of all these sins.
Utopia might not have existed if it weren't for me, and they wouldn't have had...
But... that's another story. Rest—we still have a long way to go tomorrow.
She fiddles with the campfire, and the surroundings grow dim.
