Chapter 706 “Request for Subscription” Second Consciousness (4k)
Facing Professor Metia’s explanation, Professor Shylph frowned and asked, “So why was Dark chosen for this book?”
“Perhaps because I defeated Jeffrey in the duel?”
Dark casually found an excuse, not wishing for the professors to continue discussing this matter.
“PAPAPA!”
Professor Kazel clapped his hands, signaling a pause in the debate.
Then he raised his wand and pondered, “Regarding the possibilities you’ve proposed, it’s actually quite easy to verify.”
Dark lowered his head, curious, “How so?”
Professor Kazel smiled and said, “Whether or not he possesses consciousness, he has indeed been cultivating demons and creating Mana Spirit Cards. Otherwise, that deck wouldn’t exist. Since such a fact exists, we can trace back from there.”
Dark’s heart stirred as he replied, “I understand. Whether cultivating demons or creating Mana Spirit Cards, both require time and a place. We can’t immediately ask Jeffrey about the location of the experiment site, but we can infer when he conducted the experiment by conversing with him.”
Professor Kazel nodded and said, “Wait for a moment, I’ll be right back.”
He then turned and entered the inner room, instructing Sister Carrian to awaken Angus Jeffrey, who had just fallen asleep.
…
A quarter of an hour later, Professor Kazel walked out again, his face carrying a slight smile.
Clearly, he already had an answer.
Dark and the others immediately stopped their discussion and looked at him.
Professor Kazel sat down in his chair and said, “I asked about Jeffrey’s schedule. Generally, he sleeps between ten and eleven at night, and wakes up between seven and half past seven in the morning.”
Dark was surprised, “He doesn’t stay up late?”
Jeffrey’s dark circles were so obvious; wasn’t he staying up late studying?
Professor Kazel smiled, “He does.”
The professors exchanged glances, understanding dawning on them.
Professor Kazel continued, “Every night he gets enough sleep, but in the morning he feels very tired, and his complexion gradually worsens. But he doesn’t realize there’s a problem and thinks it’s normal. This change in perception must have been influenced by the book… For now, let’s set that aside. In any case, he clearly conducts experiments after falling asleep.”
Professor Lily interjected, “This sounds like sleepwalking.”
Professor Kazel shook his head, “It’s more like he’s being manipulated.”
Professor Metia smirked and added, “If that’s the case, it brings us back to the original question: if all they needed was a manipulable subject, the book wouldn’t need to be so picky and could simply choose any student.”
“You’re right,” Professor Kazel agreed. “Therefore, assuming he isn’t being manipulated, the second possibility is — he has a second consciousness!”
…
One soul, two consciousnesses.
It sounded mysterious, but in simple terms, it was called “dual personality.”
Of course, this was different from a simple dual personality.
Based on the information, Professor Kazel deduced that Angus Jeffrey had “two consciousnesses.”
When the first consciousness sleeps, the second consciousness awakens.
This second consciousness possesses all of Angus Jeffrey’s knowledge and abilities, enabling various experiments.
However, the first consciousness does not have the memories of the second.
Thus, Angus Jeffrey knows nothing about the experiment’s location or specifics.
And Professor Kazel cannot spy on him through mind reading.
To know about Angus Jeffrey’s experiment, one needs to ask the second consciousness.
But how does one ask the second consciousness?
…
The professors weren’t overly surprised by Professor Kazel’s deduction.
In this world, there are cases where a single soul has multiple consciousnesses.
Whether it’s “two-headed ogres,” “three-headed chimeras,” or “nine-headed serpents,” these are examples.
However, Angus Jeffrey was previously a normal person with only one consciousness. Where did his second consciousness come from?
“Surely it’s not due to excessive stress causing a split personality?” Dark muttered.
Of course, he actually believed it was caused by the book.
Professor Shylph said, “If this is caused by the book, it explains why it abandoned Cameron Macefield.”
Professor Kazel nodded, “Macefield’s mental strength is too strong to easily develop a second consciousness.”
Hearing this, Dark couldn’t help but pick up “Into the Abyss” and strongly protested.
Professor Kazel glanced at him and said, “Perhaps the book realized Jeffrey’s capabilities weren’t sufficient to achieve its goal and made a new choice.”
Dark pursed his lips and asked, “Professor, is there a way to confirm if he has a second consciousness?”
Professor Kazel shook his head regretfully, “If there were two souls, it would be easy to distinguish, but with two consciousnesses… For example, they’re like happy me and unhappy me, essentially the same individual. Without differences, it’s hard to tell unless you wake the second consciousness and compare it with the first.”
“How do you wake it?” Dark asked.
Professor Kazel glanced at the clock on the wall and said calmly, “Between ten and eleven at night.”
Angus Jeffrey had already slept several times, but the second consciousness hadn’t awakened.
This indicated that the second consciousness’s awakening required other conditions, and time was the most obvious one.
“What if the second consciousness still hasn’t awakened by after ten o’clock?” Dark asked.
Professor Kazel replied, “That means our theory is wrong. Or, the second consciousness might be brought by the book, and as the book abandons him, the second consciousness naturally dissipates.”
Professor Shylph nodded, “We’ll check tonight.”
…
The professors discussed the matter and decided on a plan.
They then entrusted Angus Jeffrey to Sister Carrian and left the infirmary, moving to Professor Shylph’s office.
It was noon, and the professors hadn’t eaten yet.
Professor Shylph summoned various foods using a “Delicious Card.”
They ate while continuing their discussion.
The topic shifted from Angus Jeffrey to the book “Into the Abyss.”
“Knowledge is neither good nor evil.”
This was the general consensus among the professors at Saint Maryann Academy.
Except for Professor Metia, the others weren’t particularly concerned about “Into the Abyss.”
They wanted to know who implanted the “Brain Fluid Demon” into Fern Morse’s brain.
This was the root cause of the incident and the target of the investigation.
But based on the current situation, they could only confirm it at night.
As for “Into the Abyss,” since it chose Dark, it would temporarily be under his care. With Professor Metia’s barrier seal, it couldn’t escape.
“Now, the question is whether it can truly cause the holder to split their personality?”
If it could, Dark would handle it without hesitation.
Because it was too dangerous for him!
Of course, after disposing of it, he would carefully record its contents.
…
After the discussion, Dark finally left Professor Shylph’s office with “Into the Abyss.”
He had other matters to attend to and couldn’t stay in the office.
Around nine-thirty, he would go to the infirmary to meet the professors.
For now, he needed to go to the teacher’s dormitory because the removal of Grace’s “Underworld Fire” had reached a critical phase!
Grace and Reise arrived at the academy on Sunday. Grace lay in the “Reaper’s Casket” for three and a half days before reaching the critical stage on Thursday.
Dark originally thought Reise’s critical stage would be on Sunday, tomorrow.
But her progress was much faster than expected.
From Thursday noon to now, only two days had passed, and Reise’s “Underworld Fire” had been almost completely removed.
This could be due to less “Underworld Fire” in Reise or increased proficiency with the “Reaper’s Casket.”
After all, the practice time with the “Reaper’s Casket” was nearly half a month, making the removal process much faster.
…
At two o’clock in the afternoon.
Dark knocked on the maids’ dormitory door.
“Creak.”
Jossie opened the door in casual attire.
Dark entered and softly asked, “How is it going?”
Jossie looked relatively relaxed, “Shouldn’t be a problem. Reise doesn’t have the same difficulties as Grace. But I often hear her saying ‘Reaper’s Casket’ to hurry up, probably eager to return to a mission.”
“Haste makes waste,” Dark said. “Sometimes too fast isn’t always good, hoping nothing goes wrong.”
Since today was Saturday, Eve, who manages the shop, wasn’t here.
With Jossie leading, Dark pushed open Reise’s door and found Nene lounging in a chair, reading leisurely, while Grace sat on the bed reading, but Reise was nowhere to be seen.
When Dark entered, Nene and Grace quickly stood up, greeting him with “Good day, Master.”
Dark nodded and asked, “Where’s Reise?”
Nene pointed at the “Reaper’s Casket” and smiled, “She’s already inside.”
After Dark nodded, she suddenly widened her eyes and asked excitedly, “Master, how about yours?”
Dark said, “Mine?”
Nene said, “Yes, I heard you made your opponent faint during the duel?”
Dark smiled and briefly recounted what happened.
He didn’t explain the background but mentioned his connection with Angus Jeffrey.
Then he looked at the coffin in the center of the room, waiting patiently.
This wait lasted three hours.
Three hours later, “Reaper’s Casket” finally showed signs of movement.
Half an hour ago, Nene had been monitoring the situation inside. Suddenly releasing her grip, gray flames erupted on the surface of the “Reaper’s Casket.” The flames rose rapidly, licking the ceiling as if trying to burn the entire room.
But experienced individuals like Dark remained calm, continuing to wait.
Another quarter of an hour passed, and the lid of the “Reaper’s Casket” suddenly opened from within. A soaked Reise sat up abruptly, looking like a zombie, then turned her head sharply, her gaze intensely focused on the young master beside her.
Dark quickly recited a standard summoning spell, instantly activating “Arrogance I” he had prepared.
As the light of “Arrogance I” illuminated him, Reise’s impulse rapidly dissipated, calming down.
“How is it?” Dark asked with concern.
The blush on Reise’s cheeks slowly faded. After a moment of careful perception, she opened her eyes excitedly, “All the ‘Underworld Fire’ in my body has been removed. I can finally go on a mission!”
Looking at this mission enthusiast, Dark smiled, “Since that’s the case, let Eve inform the Duke’s Mansion. We’ll have dinner together at Traveler’s Street tonight, celebrating a little.”
“Alright, Master,” the maids responded in unison.
Grace’s eyes flickered, somewhat regretfully, “After tonight, Reise and I will have to leave.”
Nene smiled, “Tomorrow, new sisters will arrive.”
Grace nodded, “Probably.”
…
Once Reise rested sufficiently and night fell, Dark took the maids out for dinner at Traveler’s Street.
With the complete removal of “Underworld Fire” from Reise’s body, she became much more active, and Grace grew even closer. The dinner atmosphere was great.
After dinner, Eve connected with Irina and reported the experimental results.
Then, Dark accompanied them to browse the night market in Traveler’s Street, buying some small gifts.
“If only we could stay until Christmas…”
Grace played with the small gift Dark gave her, her eyes reflecting the lights.
Then, Nene discreetly glared at her and slipped another gift into her hand, “Here, a Christmas gift, take it.”
Grace laughed and didn’t say more.
…
As night deepened, after sending the maids back to the teacher’s dormitory, Dark went straight to the infirmary and knocked on the door.
Hearing the sound of mechanisms turning inside, he opened the door and quickly entered.
It was just past nine-thirty, but the professors had already gathered.
Dark glanced towards the inner room and whispered, “Where’s Jeffrey?”
“There’s soundproofing,” Professor Shylph said, pointing. The soundproof barrier around the room glowed faintly.
Professor Kazel spoke, “Jeffrey is inside reading. Soon, he should fall asleep naturally.”
Dark nodded slightly and asked, “Does he know his condition?”
Professor Kazel shook his head.
Professor Shylph added coldly, “He doesn’t need to know.”
