[Due to health reasons, the award speech representing NoName will be given by Professor Margaret Lopez of Duke University. We apologize to the audience for the long wait.]
Thud, thud, thud-!
“Na-me! NoName!”
Yoon-seul burst out of the capsule barefoot and slammed her fist against Na-me’s house door.
Clunk-
The door swung open roughly, and Professor Cheon emerged with his shoes crammed on his feet.
Na-me was wrapped up tightly in a blanket, nestled against the professor.
Her eyes were tightly shut, looking as if she had lost consciousness.
“…!”
“Hey there, can you press the elevator button for me?”
“Ah, yes…! Is Na-me okay? Is she hurt?”
“She has a high fever. It’s over 39 degrees.”
“Haaah… what should we do…! Call 119 quickly!”
“I’ve already called. What happened to Na-me recently? You said she was also absent from the academy today.”
“No… She was definitely fine until the broadcast just started…! Huuuh…”
“I see. Let’s go to the hospital and monitor her condition. When examined with diagnostic magic, there were no major abnormalities in her body.”
“Please…”
Professor Cheon tried to reassure the young girl, but even his expression showed deep concern.
Forced logouts from virtual reality should be avoided as much as possible.
That’s because the brain needs time to adapt to the physical body in reality.
However, the only time a capsule forcibly ejects a user from virtual reality is when there’s a serious issue with the user’s body.
“Please let nothing be wrong…”
An ambulance with its green lights flashing raced in and picked them up.
Aside from the high fever, all vital signs like pulse and blood pressure were normal.
Yoon-seul, sitting beside the patient transport bed, held Na-me’s tiny hand tightly until they arrived at the hospital.
She felt slight movement in Na-me’s fingertips.
Though she was conscious, it still seemed too tiring for her to open her eyes.
“It’s okay. Nothing will happen to you, Na-me. Just hang in there a bit longer, and you’ll be fine when we get to the hospital, okay?”
“…”
The first emergency room they went to had no empty beds.
The ambulance sped down the eight-lane road bathed in red moonlight, bouncing between several university hospitals.
Only after they reached the fourth hospital did Na-me, having received IV fluids, regain a more relaxed expression and stable breathing.
And the next morning…
As Na-me awoke from a deep sleep amidst everyone’s worry,
The Na-me they remembered was no longer there.
“Where am I…?”
*
A divine wrath fell upon the holy place welcoming the gods.
Dust clouds obscured the sun, and fiery crimson flames cast an eternal sunset.
On the chests of the priests clad in pristine white robes bloomed a single red rose.
That was the only memory the girl recalled.
“Hurry! We have to escape right now! The witch is right in front of us!”
A boy burst through the door.
Suppressing the urge to cry, he seized the girl’s wrist and dragged her outside.
The entire world was engulfed in flames, the acrid smoke claiming lives one after another.
The beautiful silver hair, once praised daily by the bishops, accumulated dust and began to feel coarse.
Yet, with no signs of life to be found, they had no choice but to run recklessly.
“@#% Look ahead! In front of us!”
“Huh?”
“AAAAAH!”
Only those who stand at the crossroads of life and death understand the fear of death.
A blade-like golden thread flew by, snaring their ankles.
The witch, who had turned the entire Alpenheim Kingdom into utter chaos, had found them at last.
“Let’s end this game of tag here. This is enough now.”
Escaping from her clutches was impossible.
The girl finally knelt down, tears flowing as she began to plead.
“Y-you came to kill me, right? It’s true, isn’t it?
“Hey! This is not the time! Get up!”
“Please… spare me… I’ll give you anything… Please… please…”
The girl began to beg in a choked voice.
Pushing away the boy who was pulling on her arm, she clung to the witch’s legs, burying her face.
“I did everything the witch asked! I even gave you the key to heaven and drew the map of the underground waterways of Alpenheim! I did everything! So why… why are you trying to take everything from me?! Why!”
The girl let out a scream close to a desperate wail.
The witch stared at the girl, crying in despair, and said,
“You’ve changed a lot.”
With an emotionless gaze, she yanked the girl’s hair.
“You had nothing from the beginning.”
The icy words pierced the girl’s heart like a dagger.
“Your flesh was always mine, and all the emotions you feel now are false.”
Golden mana rippled around the girl’s body.
The pain that had been torturing her disappeared like a lie, and her eyes fluttered shut.
“Astarte!”
The boy, driven by a fit of anger, lunged to save the girl, but
After that moment, there was nothing left of her memory.
[But I’ll keep your memories safe.]
*
Those who exist in the void possess an inherent contradiction.
Thus, it exists and yet does not exist.
Drifting through the imaginary world, seemingly conscious yet not, suddenly, a “wall” became loose.
“…!”
The concept of a girl was attached to something that didn’t exist, and the girl witnessed a dazzling light with her own eyes.
Barely grasping her fading consciousness, the girl reached out toward the wall and squeezed through the gap.
“Ugh!”
Thud-!
A sound erupted. This meant mass had been granted, allowing her to hear.
In the dark room, a presence could be felt.
The moment it recognized the child, the room brightened up.
Photographs densely filled the room.
A tall, brown-haired brother and a red-haired, seemingly ill-tempered wizard sister.
“And… the former saint…?”
The girl entered the unknown room, looking around until she spotted a child huddled in the corner.
“Hah, you’re such a funny friend! How did you end up here?”
As the gloomy child with a cast raised their face, the girl shivered all over.
Because she looked just like the witch who killed her.
In fact, one could believe it was her childhood self.
“Who are you?”
“Me? Shouldn’t you introduce yourself first?”
“Ah…! My name is… I am…”
The girl hesitated.
“You are Astarte.”
As the child spoke, fragments of memories returned like a lie.
“…!”
“And I am Schadenfreude. You want to get out of here, right?”
Nod, nod-
The child then pointed to the door.
“…?”
More precisely, a little to the right of it.
“Oh, it was over there? You can see it after all. Open that door, and a fun world will unfold before you.”
As the door was recognized, the child, who had been guarding the room, vanished before her eyes.
To escape this incomprehensible world, the girl took a step forward.
*
“Car…”
“What about this?”
“Train…”
“And this one?”
“Wi-Fi…”
Na-me diligently answered the elderly doctor’s questions as she flipped through the picture cards.
Then, a short break was given.
Gulping down water from a disposable cup, Na-me tilted her head.
“I can’t remember my name… Who was it…?”
“It’s alright. You don’t have to force yourself to remember.”
“But earlier, did I ask about my name?”
“Hmm?”
“Astarte… People always called me Astarte.”
*
[NoName Official]
[Community Post]
[Hello. This is Maru, the editor for NoName V-tube.
During the collaboration stream, due to NoName being forcibly disconnected from the capsule, many have expressed their concern and inquired about her well-being, so I am posting this update.
Yesterday, during the broadcast on October 25th, NoName showed symptoms of a high fever and was immediately transported to the emergency room.
NoName underwent a comprehensive health examination this morning at the hospital, and we can inform you that there are currently no major health issues.
However, it seems that given her ongoing psychological condition, long-term hospitalization will be unavoidable until she stabilizes.
Thus, we have decided to temporarily suspend NoName’s Twish and V-tube operations.
We would like to sincerely thank everyone who supports NoName.
As a manager and V-tube editor, I wish for her quick recovery.
Thank you.]
“Did you post it?”
“Yeah, for now…”
“Haa… How could she suddenly become so serious out of nowhere… without any signs at all.”
“Don’t speak carelessly. Na-me will snap back soon enough.”
Seo Maru and Seo No-eul, the brothers, visited to check on Na-me.
The doctor’s initial assessment of Na-me’s condition was “dissociative stupor.”
Not remembering who she was, where she had been, or who she had talked to.
A severe form of dissociative amnesia where one remembers nothing due to trauma or stress regarding their identity or past.
“Na-me’s father?”
“He was called in for a police investigation due to child abuse allegations.”
“Why him?!”
“They have to do it as a formality. He went with a doctor, so it should be fine.”
Na-me’s memories were completely wiped out as if they had never existed.
The only event that came to mind that could have caused her stress was one thing.
“The capsule.”
While it was true that she had used it without incident up until now, it had become difficult to pinpoint a justifiable reason for it.
“What about that Na-me’s gaming friend who came with her?”
“Kariri, or Seol Yoonseul? She cried all night and finally fell asleep just now.”
Seol Yoonseul was crying, feeling responsible for Na-me’s collapse.
Silence fell once again in the empty hospital room.
The brothers continued to gaze at the vacant bed, waiting for Na-me to return.
Knock, knock-
“…!”
Soon after, an elderly female doctor entered the room, holding Na-me’s hand.
Na-me, sulking with puffy cheeks, dragged her IV pole as she entered.
“Na-me!”
“Are you okay?”
“…”
Na-me coldly walked past her brothers and climbed into her bed.
Hugging the pillow, she turned to the opposite side, curling up like a shrimp.
The attending physician handed the nurse the patient chart and gently informed them of Na-me’s condition.
“Her fever has come down, and she complained of a slight headache, so we gave her additional IV fluids.”
“Why is Na-me suddenly sick? She was completely fine until now.”
“It’s suspected to be anaphylactic shock, specifically an allergic reaction to Aura Heart. Could you please tell me if she had been administered mana-based medications recently?”
“Mana-based medications…?”
“For example, it could be healing magic or any drug-type magic that directly affects metabolism.”
After contemplating, the brothers exchanged opinions.
“The potion Na-me takes? But that hasn’t been a problem for months.”
“The Demon King’s Horn? She’s been using that for a long time as well.”
“Or perhaps… during the interschool competition? The sleep-inducing magic? Could that be the cause? But that happened three days ago, so there’s quite a gap in time.”
“It’s not a common case, but it’s entirely possible depending on one’s constitution. If it’s a small amount, it takes time for mana to circulate and naturally accumulate in Aura Heart.”
“Understood… However, what about Na-me’s memories… have they not returned yet?”
Every time their eyes met with Na-me, who didn’t remember them, it felt like their hearts sank.
“Typically, recovery can happen within a few hours to a few days, but it can stretch to a month or longer… because it’s a psychological issue, I can’t say anything definitively. She is also showing symptoms of dissociative identity disorder, which is often mistaken for multiple personality disorder…”
“W-What? Na-me has multiple personalities?”
“However, dissociative identity disorder is not officially recognized in academic circles. The cases are extremely rare, and there’s a viewpoint that other types of psychological disorders have simply been exaggerated. So unfortunately, all we can do is keep monitoring her, and I sincerely apologize for that.”
“Ah, no problem…”
“When the stress-inducing situations are resolved, she can rapidly recover her memories, so if you continue to tell her happy memories, it will greatly help.”
“Thank you for your advice, doctor.”
“Oh, and one more thing.”
“…?”
“She mentioned her name is Astarte. I don’t know what that is, but if you have any information, discussing those types of subjects could help her.”
After the busy physician left, Seo No-eul carefully nudged Na-me on the shoulder to call her.
“Na-me.”
“…”
“NoName…!”
“…”
“Astarte!”
“Uh…?”
“Oh, she’s looking! Do you remember who we are?”
Clap, clap as Seo No-eul tried to smile brightly.
Na-me slowly raised her arm, which had an IV in it, and declared,
“No! Our Na-me can’t be like this…!”
And she flipped them the middle finger.
*
Words spoken out loud can no longer remain a secret.
The source of the rumors spreading on the Internet could be negligent medical staff, or perhaps a patient who happened to overhear, but right now, that wasn’t the important issue.
[‘Youngest recipient of the Wolf Mathematical Award,’ NoName, diagnosed with dissociative amnesia. Cause under investigation.]
NoName, who left an unprecedented achievement in human history.
The rumor quickly spread that she was burning her last flame in the hospital room.
