Rhodes Island does not exist.

Chapter 99, Chapter Ninety-Eight: Deep Sea Tales, Chapter Thirty-Four: The Suicide of the Other

A few hours earlier, the doctor had talked for a long time with the gray-haired woman in the small chapel by the sea and learned something from her.

[That tranquil, cradle-like seashore was used for special purposes by Iberia after being swept away by disaster.]

During his tour of the city, the doctor noticed that he seemed to have never seen any infected people in the city, and because the residents were extremely xenophobic, he did not dare to approach them to ask about the infected.

But now, he got the answer from this gray-haired woman.

That is the special purpose mentioned above—a place of exile.

All those infected with Oripathy were abandoned in a sealed-off seaside area under the organization of the church, where they were isolated and left to fend for themselves.

The gray-haired woman was also one of the infected who were exiled.

When the doctor offered to treat her, she said something to him.

“We can be kind to our family and friends, but we cannot be kind to our enemies and those who are different from us. If we keep the bad apples under the protection of purity, in the end all purity will be polluted and all kindness will be distorted.”

This statement was not her original creation, but rather came from the former cardinal.

The "black sheep" he referred to were infected individuals, and his statement naturally meant that infected and uninfected individuals should be separated to prevent the widespread spread of Oripathy.

This behavior is actually good.

However, the church's practices often differ from what is envisioned, and once put into practice, they become a distorted reality.

To prevent those infected from returning after being exiled, the church did something.

They removed the white matter from the infected individuals' brains and placed them on the shore near the sea. This way, they would lose all impulses and thoughts, and could only sit there like demented children, unable to do anything, let alone escape back to the city. For the rest of their lives, they would live in this state, relying solely on human instincts, until Oripathy took their lives.

[Note: Lobotomy is a neurosurgical procedure involving the removal of connective tissue from the prefrontal cortex of the brain. It has been used to treat schizophrenia and clinical depression. Patients often experience loss of impulsivity after the surgery, exhibiting signs similar to dementia or intellectual disability.]

Strangely, the doctor didn't see any infected people on the shore, except for the gray-haired woman, nor did he see any trace of them.

Naturally, the gray-haired woman answered this question.

However, her answer was quite simple, consisting of only one sentence.

"Those infected who have lost their minds will line up as the tide comes in at night, walk gently and slowly into the sea, and then disappear."

In other words, they jumped into the sea.

At least on the surface, that seems to be the case.

However, when the doctor pressed her for details about what had happened and why she was still living alone there, the woman simply smiled and evaded the question.

According to the information provided by the woman, since she came to live in this small church by the sea, every month the church would collect newly infected individuals from the parish, remove their brain lobes, and then send them to the seaside area. And those infected individuals would, like their predecessors, line up and walk into the sea one by one.

There has never been an exception to this kind of life, not even once.

The Doctor had little recollection of what happened after those conversations. He couldn't even remember how he got back to the Iberian city from the sealed-off seaside area.

So now, when he follows Skadi back along the path he was supposed to take, he feels a sense of déjà vu.

"The church's armed forces are slow to realize what's happening. They should be working on blocking the route from the Sunset Cathedral to the Court of Judgment by now, but unfortunately we've already crossed that area and are almost in the seaside district."

Skadi, walking ahead of the Doctor, suddenly spoke up.

"They won't chase us into the seaside area, will they?" the professor asked.

“In principle, no,” Skadi replied. “First of all, the Papal Knights certainly wouldn’t, because they are directly under the Lateran Pope at the very top, so no one except the Iberian Cardinals can give them instructions… and you know the situation with the Cardinals.”

“He died in front of me.” The doctor nodded. “Although I don’t know who did it, my crime stems from this.”

"He committed suicide," Skadi said casually, revealing a wealth of information.

"Are you serious?" The doctor's expression froze.

“I never lie,” Skadi said as she walked, looking ahead. “Deceiving you would do me no good.”

“Skilled liars always say that—though I’d ​​love to say it, you saved my and Levin’s lives, so I’ll believe you,” the Doctor sighed.

“Really? Then thank you.” Skadi glanced at the Doctor and nodded slightly.

"But you just said you'd tell me who killed the Cardinal only when we reached the beach," the Doctor added. "Why did you change your mind again?"

“I did say that,” Skadi replied. “So I didn’t tell you who killed the Cardinal, I only told you what caused the Cardinal’s death.”

"The meaning is unclear." The doctor shook his head. "Although suicide is a cause of death, doesn't that also indicate the culprit? Who else could be the culprit in this suicide?"

"Why not?" Skadi said calmly. "Have you ever heard of a game called Ursus Roulette?"

“When I went to Ursus for study abroad, I heard the locals talk about it. It’s a slightly brutal game.” The Doctor nodded. “You load a spell unit into an empty revolver, then randomly rotate its cylinder and shoot it at your own forehead. If you don’t die, it’s the next person’s turn.”

“If you die, then you lose,” Skadi continued, asking a question. “Suppose you gamble with someone using this method, and the staff suddenly fires when it’s your turn, wouldn’t that count as suicide?”

“I think it counts,” the doctor replied after a moment’s thought. “Because it was my own decision, I chose to play this game, and I was the one who controlled the staff to fire it, so my death can only be attributed to my own negligence.”

“Very good.” Skadi nodded. “Then I’ll add one more condition—what if you didn’t check the cylinder of the revolver staff, and it was actually loaded with six spell units when the other party handed it to you?”

"Wait, six? That means..."

“That’s right, as long as you press your finger, it’s a guaranteed hit,” Skadi replied. “Tell me, in this situation, can you still say the murderer isn’t someone else?”

Chapter 100, Chapter Ninety-Nine: Deep Sea Tales - Chapter Thirty-Five: Mind Induction

"Tell me, under these circumstances, can you still say that the murderer is none other than someone else?"

Skadi questioned the doctor.

"That's sophistry," the doctor said, shaking his head.

“Really? From where to where?” Skadi asked in return.

"Because I don't know the number of spell units, nor—"

"Was it you who pulled the trigger?" Skadi interrupted the doctor's speech.

"Yes."

"Was this action taken out of your own free will? Was it done without being forced by anyone else?"

"Yes."

"Are you prepared for the possibility that this behavior could be fatal to you?"

"it is done."

“Then that’s suicide,” Skadi shrugged. “And the reason you died was someone else.”

The Doctor was silent.

He found himself unable to refute the woman in front of him dressed in strange clothes.

"So you mean that the Cardinal's death was essentially what you just told me? Although he committed suicide by his own free will, the root cause was someone else."

Since we can't refute it, we can only follow Skadi's way of thinking and continue to extend the topic.

"That's about it... huh?"

Nodding, Skadi suddenly stopped in her tracks, staring straight ahead.

The doctor peeked out and cast his gaze along the wall of the alleyway in the direction Skadi was staring.

Vague memories from the past suddenly surfaced.

He had been to this area that morning; it was part of the seaside district's cordon.

However, because he was deep in thought at the time, he crossed over without even thinking and went deep into its heart.

Now, this place is being closely guarded by a group of white-armored warriors with six wings and bright crowns on their heads.

The deep black revolver, gleaming with a metallic sheen, looked as if it could start spinning at any moment.

“It seems my judgment was wrong when I said I was slow to react.” Skadi shook her head. “The Papal Knights are still capable of making judgments… Although they won’t enter the seaside area, there’s no problem with them guarding its perimeter.”

“Didn’t you say that no one but the cardinals could instruct them?” the doctor asked in a low voice.

“That was in Iberia,” Skadi sighed. “Don’t forget that their supreme leader is the Pope.”

"But does the Pope have any say in what happens here? Didn't we just escape from prison?" The doctor looked surprised.

“We did just escape from prison, but the cardinal didn’t just die,” Skadi pondered. “I’m afraid the Vatican appointed a new agent immediately after the cardinal’s death… That was fast, and this agent was able to get the Papal Knights to seal off the seaside area, which shows he has some ideas.”

“I think the Papal Knights weren’t stationed here because of our escape; they were arranged to be here beforehand,” the doctor said.

“Your idea has some value,” Skadi nodded, “but in any case, they cannot become stumbling blocks to our progress.”

"What do you plan to do? Just charge in?" the doctor asked.

“Don’t talk nonsense.” Skadi rolled her eyes at him. “Of course we’ll take a detour. There’s more than one way to the seaside district. Although the Papal Knights are powerful, their numbers are not enough to defend all the blockade lines. Besides, we have to enter the seaside district without alerting anyone, or all our efforts will be in vain.”

"Because once it's discovered that we've entered the seaside area, the church will mobilize all its forces to turn the seaside area upside down?" the doctor said with a wry smile.

“Not all our forces, but a complete rout is probably unavoidable.” Skadi nodded. “After all, you two are now carrying the secrets of the Iberian Church. As witnesses to the entire tragedy, the Church will not release you under any circumstances.”

"But wasn't that an attack on the church?" the doctor wondered. "When I was in prison, I kept hearing them talk about Agor and all that. Wasn't it because of Agor?"

“If that’s the case, why bother making you scapegoats?” Skadi closed her eyes slightly and sighed softly. “Instead of interrogating you two and making you confess in court, wouldn’t it be more worthwhile to hunt down those fabricated Agors?”

“Unfounded accusation…” The doctor pondered the meaning of the word.

"In the end, you didn't actually see any Agorians at the scene that day, did you?" Skadi asked.

“That’s true.” The Doctor nodded. “Levinie aside, because I arrived later, I didn’t see anyone except the Cardinal who was lying in the square. When I went over to give the Cardinal first aid, those soldiers who suddenly appeared surrounded me.”

“Then here’s the question.” Skadi turned and walked into another, narrower path, with the Doctor following closely behind. “Since you didn’t see Agor, then those who came later probably didn’t see Agor either… So, where did Agor’s claims come from?”

"Are you saying that Agor never existed in the first place, and was just something those people imagined?" The Doctor felt like he was being led astray by Skadi.

“No, it seems you, stranger, didn’t understand what I was saying.” Skadi shook her head. “Think about it. If they’ve already decided that you’re the sinner, that you killed the Cardinal, then why bother fabricating the fact that Agor was there? Don’t forget that there’s not one incident in the Inquisition, but two. The Cardinal’s death and the fact that no one in the Inquisition survived couldn’t both have been your doing.”

"Wait a minute, my mind is a little muddled." The doctor raised his hands slightly, indicating that he was falling behind.

“In that case, I’ll just give you the conclusion—Agor does exist, but he hasn’t been sighted.” Skadi sighed, seemingly expressing regret over the Doctor’s comprehension.

"Please explain," the doctor said.

“People mention Agor when they talk about this because, even before this happened, Agor had already become a potential candidate for representing conflict and events,” Skadi began. “By the way, how much do you know about the relationship between the Agorians and the Iberians?”

“Not much, but I have a general understanding of it. Wait—” The doctor said, then a memory suddenly flashed through his mind, “I think I’ve remembered something.”

"what?"

“When we entered the courtroom with the Punishers earlier, one of them said something: ‘Bishop Sobrino told us that Agor had come… but we didn’t see Agor.’”

"Heh." Skadi let out a flat laugh.

"Is this what you're trying to say?" the Doctor asked Skadi.

“That’s right.” Skadi nodded.

“Some people mention Agor not because they actually saw him, but because someone has instilled in them the idea that Agor exists.”

-

Thank you segment.

Thank you to szyaureoln, the science popularizer who asks for verification codes, for the monthly pass. Thank you everyone.

Happy Lunar New Year to everyone!

Chapter 101, One Hundred, Deep Sea Tales, Thirty-Six Dynamic Silences

It was much easier to get through the Papal Knights' defenses than I had imagined.

After all, the blockade was too long and the area of ​​the seaside district was larger than expected, so finding a gap large enough for two people to slip in was not actually difficult.

But this was just a minor detail in the Doctor and Skadi's journey; their main topic was still ongoing.

"Sobrino is the bishop of the Cathedral of Afterglow, and he was the one who received me on my first night here."

Upon entering the seaside area, surrounded by a desolate and empty environment resembling a graveyard, the doctor unconsciously raised his voice by a few decibels.

"Wait, if what you just said is true, you mean the Cardinal's death is related to him?" The Doctor thought for a moment and asked with some confusion, "After all, it was he who spread the rumors about Agor's arrival."

“No, that’s not it.” Skadi shook her head. “Think about it carefully. In the solemn atmosphere of the trial, the bishop’s speech actually lacked appeal because—”

“Because the Cardinal was still alive at that time, and he was sitting on the trial bench.” The Doctor realized this and then frowned. “So the rumor that Agor had arrived was actually spread by the Cardinal himself, and then the Cardinal took this message to the Punishers… and ended up running into me?”

"You finally got it right." Although it was only for a moment, Skadi's tone changed from calm to gratified when she said these words.

"But...no, I need to think about it again."

The doctor gently inhaled the increasingly strong sea breeze, his gaze sweeping over the familiar scenery he had seen that morning, his heart sinking into a state of complex emotions.

"...So the situation was that after the Cardinal informed the Bishop of this information, the Bishop went to find the Punishing Army, while the Cardinal left the courtroom, which was preparing to try Levinie, alone, went to the square, and committed suicide a few minutes later, right?"