# Chapter 50
After that incident, I began conversing with Zenon frequently. I was finally able to step slightly over the line he had drawn. He, who had been practicing silent meditation in the laboratory, now naturally struck up conversations with me.
“By the way, there are surveillance cameras here. Is that okay?”
Zenon spoke while looking at the surveillance camera installed in the corner of the ceiling. The laboratory had no blind spots, so if we weren’t careful, our actions would be recorded.
“Ah, yes. The voices aren’t picked up, and I’m doing things in a way that won’t be detected on screen.”
That’s why when I needed to switch the drugs with nutritional supplements or hide something, I’d turn my back to the surveillance cameras and finish the work as naturally as possible.
If voices had been recorded, I would already be gone from this world. There used to be listening devices as well, but the laboratory was filled with endless screams, and those who heard the screams went mad, which eventually led to their removal.
“Zenon-ssi, you don’t have any listening devices on you, do you?”
Just in case, I had checked the room when inspecting the surveillance cameras. So if there was nothing unusual about Zenon, there was no possibility of being discovered. I looked him up and down to check. There was nothing particularly noticeable. Should I check under his clothes too? I was thinking about that when—
“…There was one, but someone got rid of it for me.”
Zenon hesitantly spoke up. It was surprising that he hadn’t noticed it, but someone had removed it for him. I guess there are such individuals even at Peace. If it were “Alice,” Fenil would have removed it.
“That’s a relief.”
Anyway, this meant we were safe, so I could breathe easier.
“So, is she okay?”
“She had a fever last night, but she’s fine now.”
I nodded at Zenon’s hasty question and examined Alice. Since I’d stayed in the lab overnight, I was able to quickly check her condition.
It wasn’t a high fever, but even that was a significant burden on her body. I knew she was originally weak and prone to fevers, but I didn’t realize she was this frail.
Fortunately, after administering the antipyretic, her condition gradually stabilized. Otherwise, it could have been serious. I reached out to Alice, who was sleeping soundly, breathing softly.
I brushed away the hair that was stuck to her forehead and gently placed my hand there. She must have fully recovered now, as my palm only felt the warmth of her cooled forehead.
“…Ah.”
I had only intended to check her temperature and remove my hand, but the stimulus must have disturbed her, as Alice slowly opened her eyes.
“She’s awake.”
Zenon, who had been checking Alice’s condition alongside me, murmured.
The sleepy eyes gradually became clearer, then blinked as they looked at me. Seemingly grasping the situation, the blue gaze moved from my face to her own forehead.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
When I finally removed my hand, she nodded slightly in understanding.
“Thank you.”
Alice, who had been watching me pull up the slightly lowered blanket, softly expressed her gratitude. I gently stroked her head, but Zenon seemed surprised by Alice’s behavior and muttered quietly.
“…It’s amazing she grew up properly in a place like this.”
It was pure admiration, not mockery. The laboratory is solely a place for experiments. There was no need to teach the test subjects how to speak, much less teach them manners. So for Zenon, it was surprising that Alice expressed gratitude. However, I could somewhat deduce why Alice had manners.
It was probably largely due to Kane’s influence. When Kane was in charge initially, he taught the unknowing Alice many things. Among them were lessons on manners.
But fundamentally, it was possible because Alice had a good nature. Even Kane would have found it difficult to completely reform a person from the roots in such a short time.
“No pain anywhere?”
“No.”
I checked her condition once more just in case, but there was nothing particularly wrong. Now I could be completely at ease.
As I was thinking that, Alice’s mouth opened again.
“Zenon…”
It wasn’t that she was in pain, but what she said was even more surprising. She called for Zenon. I was surprised, and Zenon would be no different.
Zenon’s body stiffened at Alice’s words. As if he had heard something he never imagined, his body remained frozen for a few seconds before finally relaxing. Seemingly convinced that he had heard correctly, he broke the silence.
“That’s the first time you’ve called my name. So, why are you calling me?”
“Don’t go to the organization.”
However, his newly relaxed body could only stiffen again at Alice’s subsequent words. This time, he didn’t move a finger, like a statue. Perhaps he was thinking so hard that he had no energy left to move his body.
It was the same for me. Suddenly talking about the organization? Alice had just woken up.
“What do you—”
Zenon, who had seemingly organized his thoughts in the meantime, spoke in confusion. Alice, as if anticipating this reaction, responded calmly without showing any surprise.
“That person said it. Called you bait.”
“Bait? Me?”
“Yes… Said they need to exploit a weakness since their weakness was exposed.”
“No way…”
Zenon’s face hardened instantly as he listened to Alice’s words. He seemed caught up in what Alice was saying and didn’t ask the obvious question.
“I don’t understand, but it’s important, right?”
“There was a bit of an incident before.”
After giving a vague answer, I left Zenon deep in thought and asked Alice.
“How did you know that?”
The discomfort I had been feeling all along finally exploded today. Yes, I kept thinking it was strange. From the moment Alice looked directly into my eyes through the screen.
I had brushed it off as a coincidence until now. But now, it couldn’t possibly be a coincidence. These were words that only someone who knew Zenon’s circumstances perfectly could say.
No, beyond that, they would have to see through that person’s inner thoughts. Such supernatural abilities were extremely rare. And Alice certainly wasn’t included among them.
Yet Alice broke all common sense and conveyed information even Zenon didn’t know.
“I know everything. Know everything?”
“You’ve known everything?”
“Yes.”
There was no malice in Alice. She simply purely stated what she knew. Just how far did ‘knowing’ extend for her? The unfocused eyes shining strangely reminded me of a prophet.
“How is that possible?”
Zenon, who had belatedly realized the situation, frowned at the incomprehensible circumstances. As if considering all possibilities, a slight suspicion settled in Zenon’s eyes.
Alice, who had been quietly observing this, slowly sat up.
“I hear it. The sound.”
She whispered as she stared quietly into the empty space. Alice’s gaze slowly rolled as if looking beyond the void, not at the void itself.
With this, I could guess how she had been able to know everything.
“…Do you have a supernatural ability?”
If it’s something an ordinary human absolutely cannot do, the only possibility is a supernatural ability.
“Yes.”
And as I expected, Alice affirmed. A supernatural ability? I never thought she would have a supernatural ability. When did it manifest?
But that wasn’t the important thing right now.
“What kind of sound do you hear?”
“Everything.”
Alice, not fluent in speaking, answered briefly and then began folding her fingers one by one.
“Sadness, anger, despair, greed, frustration. I hear them.”
And with that, she recited the names of various emotions. All were negative emotions, but she said she could hear them. That made sense. The only emotions that would be heard in the laboratory would be negative ones.
“You’re saying you can perceive emotions?”
“Hmm…”
But thinking about it that way, the words she had said to Zenon couldn’t be explained. Because just by reading emotions, one can’t know the other’s thoughts.
Alice, who seemed frustrated by her inability to express her ability well, pondered for a moment before listing a long string of sentences.
“It hurts. It’s painful. I said I’ll bring a different drug next time. That researcher said. This time it’s a strong drug. Said I might not be able to endure it. Wonder if I’ll finally die this time. I’d rather die. That’s what I hear.”
At first, I was surprised by her fluent speech, but as the sentences continued, I realized it wasn’t that. These weren’t her words. Alice was merely reading others’ words verbatim.
“This ability…”
There was only one ability that could do all this. The supernatural ability to read others’ thoughts.
“Mind reading.”
Nothing else but that.
Simultaneously, Zenon seemed to realize it too and voiced Alice’s supernatural ability.
“You can read people’s thoughts, right?”
“Yes.”
Mind reading was a common ability. However, because its range is narrow and its duration short, it’s not a very efficient supernatural ability. Even a B-grade supernatural ability user can only maintain it for about one minute. There’s also a distance limit, making it too short a time to do anything. Therefore, it’s one of the abilities most commonly possessed by those living as ordinary people, unable to confront villains.
Yet, it was also one of the most necessary abilities. In an era where information is a weapon, mind reading was the most essential supernatural ability for devising strategies.
Being able to read others’ thoughts means being able to catch them off guard. That hasn’t changed now. Naturally, if we could grasp Peace’s current plans, things would become easier moving forward.
“It seems to be of a high grade too.”
“It’s definitely above B-grade.”
Moreover, the range is wide. The ability to penetrate walls and cover an entire floor certainly indicates a high grade.
“Why did you hide your supernatural ability?”
But I don’t understand why Alice hid her supernatural ability. With such an ability, she could have left the laboratory. I can’t say she would be treated well, but it would still be better than the laboratory.
Yet, Alice concealed her ability even in this situation.
When I asked cautiously, Alice pondered for a long time before finally opening her mouth.
“That’s because…”
