Chapter 143: Episode 3 · Remaining Sense Of Pain (Part 4)
In the movie, Mikiya Kokutou ultimately ends up sending Keita to Touko Aozaki for refuge.
Upon seeing this scene, the audience couldn't hold back their reactions.
"Why?! Why let such scum live? Might as well just kill him already!"
"Kokutou couldn't bring himself to do it, but at the very least, he should have reported him to the authorities and had him thrown in jail."
"But if he reported him, Fujino Asagami's situation might get exposed, leading to her arrest, so in the end, they had to hold back for now."
"How can anyone hold back? Scum like that should be fed to beasts!"
The audience in Norsrick Tavern debated fervently.
In the end, most people didn't agree with Mikiya Kokutou's decision, feeling that treating such a villain with such mercy was far too lenient.
Even though the Empire's compulsory education hadn't been fully implemented, people's moral awareness was decent. Regarding lowlifes like Keita, who assaulted young girls, everyone spat in disgust to express their revulsion.
For this reason, they no longer had any doubts about Fujino Asagami's actions and even hoped the wronged girl would hurry up and kill off all those degenerates.
In the Imperial Capital, Knight Captain Wilcliff could no longer hold back and was already drawing the sword at his waist. If Ryne hadn't hurriedly stopped him, he might have smashed the television to pieces with a single blow!
"If I ever see that bastard in the Empire, I'd chop off his third leg and feed it to the pigs!"
Hearing Wilcliff's harsh words, the other knights shuddered and dared not utter a word.
Meanwhile, Knight Lea, sitting beside them, completely agreed with Wilcliff's statement. She also shared a similar sense of justice as the captain.
…
The movie then transitioned into a flashback.
The scene depicted Fujino Asagami as a child playing with a toy knife, only to find that a real blade had been mixed in, leading to her cutting her hand.
However, not only did she not feel pain, but she continued to cut into her palm repeatedly.
Her mother discovered this and immediately stopped Fujino, comforting her and bandaging her hand.
During the process, her mother repeatedly told her not to be afraid of pain, but the little girl had no idea what pain was, remaining confused and bewildered throughout.
This confirmed Fujino Asagami's lack of pain perception.
...
Upon seeing the scene in the movie, the students of the Imperial Mage Academy immediately burst into discussion, all astonished by the revelation that Fujino Asagami had no sense of pain.
"What kind of experience would it be to have no sense of pain at all?"
"I recall an Archmage once theorized that pain is the body's self-protection mechanism. If pain were removed, a person wouldn't improve; instead, they might die from severe illness due to being unaware of minor issues in their body."
"Fujino Asagami must be incredibly lucky to have survived this long without feeling pain."
"In a sense, someone without pain can't fully grasp the reality of being alive. Fujino Asagami's abnormal personality might stem from this."
"But Fujino Asagami clearly showed signs of pain when she first appeared, so what's going on there?"
"When Keita mentioned his friend beating Fujino with a stick, that was the first time the girl showed intense pain. Perhaps during that event, her pain receptors were somehow reactivated. Of course, why Fujino Asagami lacks pain remains a mystery. There could be some special power involved."
Ultimately, this was as far as the discussion could go since no one knew the true reason behind Fujino Asagami's loss of pain sensation.
At the top of the Alchemist's Tower, the archmages were also discussing this.
"What do you think could cause a person to lose their sense of pain?"
In response to Dean Hohenheim's question, the other archmages fell into deep thought.
At that moment, Rosa took the initiative to speak:
"According to research, it's not the soul that controls the senses but rather a delicate organ within the body that is spread throughout and transmits sensations to the brain. This is why people can feel pain, touch, and other perceptions. So, if part of this sensory organ were severed, it could result in a loss of pain perception."
"Are you suggesting that Fujino Asagami was either born without this sensory organ or had it removed, which is why she can't feel pain?"
"That would be the logical conclusion, but this story is anything but ordinary, and many things can't be explained by common sense."
"…"
Hearing Rosa's near-spoiler explanation, the archmages present immediately caught on to what she was implying.
The somewhat hot-tempered Archmage of Fire Elementalism loudly protested:
"Shut up! I don't want any spoilers!"
"I didn't mean to…"
Rosa seemed quite frustrated, not expecting these old scholars to be so invested in a movie that they wouldn't tolerate even the slightest hint of a spoiler.
In fact, it wasn't just the Fire Elementalist Archmage; all the other archmages at the academy were against spoilers. These elderly archmages had spent most of their time secluded in their mage towers, bored out of their minds. Now that they finally had some entertainment, they certainly didn't want anyone to ruin it for them.
.....
The flashback in the movie quickly ended, and the scene shifted to Touko Aozaki's office.
Mikiya Kokutou had brought Keita here, seeking refuge for him, and began discussing with Touko Aozaki how to handle the issue with Fujino Asagami.
However, before he could even start, both Touko and Shiki Ryougi harshly criticized him for being too much of a soft-hearted fool.
"Hmm, I guess I've reached the point where you two are bound to look down on me like this."
Faced with Mikiya's helplessness, it was clear that Touko and Shiki had already discussed the situation between themselves and were even prepared to take action.
The three of them then discussed the possibility that Fujino Asagami might have a condition that renders her unable to feel pain, concluding that her desire for revenge against those who assaulted her stemmed from her newfound experience of pain.
In this scenario, ordinary methods of dealing with her would likely be ineffective, so Shiki decided that the only way to end the killing spree was to kill Fujino Asagami.
Mikiya Kokutou strongly protested this, arguing that the true reason behind Fujino's killings had not yet been fully understood. He insisted on investigating further and asked the two of them to hold off on any action until he returned.
However, the very next day after Mikiya left, another murder occurred.
This time, the victim was an innocent bystander, at least in the eyes of Touko Aozaki and Shiki Ryougi.
"I can't wait any longer. Touko, do you know where she is?"
"I've narrowed it down to two or three possible hiding spots. Fujino Asagami should be in one of these locations. Let's deal with this before Mikiya gets back to avoid any complications."
Hearing Touko's words, Shiki nodded with a sharp gaze and, with her usual graceful stride, left the office.
Left alone in the room, Touko turned her gaze toward the window.
"Mikiya won't make it in time, will he? Now it's just a matter of whether the storm will arrive first or if it will be created first. If Shiki goes alone, she might even be defeated, Ryougi."
The magician spoke to herself, knowing there was no one to listen.
At the same time, what had been a clear blue sky was now gradually being covered by a layer of leaden gray.
The typhoon was coming.
…
As the audience saw this scene and realized that the final confrontation was imminent, they began to show signs of tension. Everyone focused intently on the screen, afraid to miss a single moment of the unfolding drama.
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