The Past One Wishes Not to Recall
"The books brought this time are going to pile up like a small mountain, Malkuth."
"Did I mention this before? This is my third life now."
"Ah, I remember. Are you reminiscing about the past? I've also heard from Angela recently—does this place have some connection to Lobotomy Corporation?"
"It has a huge connection. Back then, I managed the Control Team of Lobotomy Corporation as an AI."
"AI? Artificial intelligence? Wait, you're an AI too? Just like Angela?"
"Ah, sorry, that was a slip of the tongue. I am not an artificial intelligence."
"Someone restored my brain from when I was alive and granted me a second life."
"Just thinking about how many existences in The Library violate the 'Artificial Intelligence Ethics Amendment' makes my heart race like crazy. Even if The Head were to storm in tomorrow and burn this place to the ground, I wouldn't find it strange at all..."
"By The Head, do you mean the governing body of The City?"
"That's right, that very Head. I've heard that they usually don't make a peep, but when they actually take action, they always get things done so cleanly and efficiently; it's absolutely terrifying."
"Is Mr. Roland actually listening to me? I thought we were having a serious conversation about my past."
"Ah, my apologies. Having been through so much, my cognitive priorities are a bit different from the average person."
"I wasn't intentionally ignoring what you said, Malkuth. If I upset you, I apologize. I'm sorry."
"Hehe, Mr. Roland's personality is truly one of a kind."
"After all, that is my survival rule."
"Anyway, let's return to the previous topic. You said you were in charge of managing the Control Team of Lobotomy Corporation?"
"Mm-hmm, and since I'm managing the History Floor now, why don't I slowly sort out my history for you?"
"I can tell you if you want to hear it?"
"Can I refuse? It feels like it's going to be a long and messy story."
"What is that supposed to mean? Mr. Roland, you really don't know how to read the room! Shouldn't you just readily agree at a time like this!?"
"Aren't you clearly itching to tell me? Fine, fine, I can't escape listening anyway, so please, go ahead!"
"Hahaha! That's true."
"Anyway, carrying the regrets from my life, I was appointed as the Captain of the Control Team at Lobotomy Corporation."
"After waking up without realizing it, I was immediately assigned this job."
"I didn't even realize who I actually was."
"But for some reason, the pain and regret I couldn't resolve in the past couldn't help but well up in my heart."
"Just like that, I did some… inhumane things at Lobotomy Corporation, as if I had broken down."
"Because this was the work I was assigned, I didn't have a shred of doubt."
"It felt like my innate mission, and as things went from bad to worse, I always blindly felt that I wasn't trying hard enough."
"I kept forcing others to follow my standards, and due to my increasingly twisted efforts, many people were driven into a corner by my own hands."
"Waking up and being dragged to work for no reason, that must have been a headache, right?"
"So, you're saying the work at Lobotomy Corporation helped you retrieve your memories of the past?"
"If this is my third life, then my time at Lobotomy Corporation was my second life."
"During my time working at Lobotomy Corporation, accompanied by an outburst of inner emotions, I recalled my first life."
"I recalled all the mistakes and errors I had committed, as well as those things I regretted. Then, I gradually realized why I was always hung up on 'effort.' In reality, I was just hoping to receive recognition from someone."
"I hoped to prove to everyone that I had worked very hard, that I was a useful person! But I never thought about how to walk tall and proud on my own."
"Just like that, after pouring out all the filth from my heart, the knot that had been bothering me was finally untied."
"My first life finally found redemption in my second life."
"To summarize: you made some mistakes that got you killed, you regretted it deeply, and then somehow you were resurrected and given a job. That's…"
"If you summarize it simply, that is indeed the case."
"Wait, even if everything you said is true, The City is still The City…"
"Who would go through the trouble of resurrecting you? And for what purpose? Just to help you find enlightenment?"
"Perhaps. This way, I have a chance to make up for past regrets."
"Only then can I receive redemption."
"But I always seem to have an indescribable sense of dissonance."
"It's like all of this… it feels wrong, but I believe it is right."
"Seeing the situation, Roland tries to change the subject. 'Well, let's not talk about that.'"
"By the way, what was Ayou doing at your company back then?"
"He was our leader. We all followed him."
"Huh? Him?"
"He was originally called Ayin. Perhaps, this can also be considered his second life."
"When the Seed of Light was being launched, a complete human was needed as a medium. He merged into the light, but in the end, the Seed of Light was taken away by Angela. Subsequently, he became like this. Angela was initially by his side, but she betrayed him."
"Angela took all of this away; she trampled our efforts underfoot with ease."
"It's as if all of this was already plotted out. Things happened too suddenly; she left us no room to think. She didn't give us any other choices, and we could only cooperate with her."
"This… the topic suddenly shifted to this. I… I don't know what to say right now. I didn't expect the conflict between you to be like this. One thing at a time, though—perhaps she was also forced to choose this path."
"But what kind of helplessness could she have? No matter what, how could she do such a thing?"
"This is the 'rest' you have long awaited."
"Malkuth: 'You cannot do that. What was all our effort for?'"
"'Ridiculous. What you did is barely worthy of being called "effort."'"
"The scene of the confrontation that day is still vivid in my mind."
"But no matter how many times life restarts, I will always dedicate myself to saving humanity. This determination has not changed even now! Isn't everything everyone did for the sake of humanity!?"
"Sigh, let me have a moment to myself first."
"I think you really need to calm down. Don't forget to take a deep breath, okay?"
"Also, you don't need to add 'Mr.' from now on. Just be casual."
"Mm…"